Spinal injuries on rise despite points system

SPINAL injuries due to road accidents are on the increase again despite a dramatic 50% drop in the first six months of the penalty points system.

An analysis of admissions to the National Spinal Injuries Unit shows the number treated for injury due to traffic accidents was down just 10% for the second half of the penalty points year.

Cardiothoracic registrar Dr David Healy, who led a five-year study of admissions to the Mater Hospital unit, said the danger was that road users were becoming too familiar with the points system. “It should have a cumulative effect, in that each time a driver gets a penalty point, you would expect an improvement in road use. For whatever reason, that doesn’t seem to be happening,” he said.

Over the five years of the study, 831people were admitted to the unit, averaging at 166 per annum.

However, just 17 patients were admitted between November 2002 and April 2003, compared to 34 for the same period in 2001-2002. This corresponded to the first six months of the penalty points system.

Despite the fact the number of admissions are on the rise again, Dr Healy said overall, there had been a 28% reduction in the number treated for spinal injuries due to road accidents in the first 12 months of penalty points.

“Even if there has been a slippage compared to the first six months, the figure is still 10% less than the equivalent period for the past four years.” he said.

National Safety Council (NSC) chief executive Pat Costello said the mindset of all road users needed to be changed to further reduce serious injuries and deaths.

“The whole object of the exercise is not to penalise motorists but to improve road safety. We have seen 76 fewer fatalities so far this year and 380 people have been spared serious injury.”

However, Mr Costelloe said the growing number of motorcyclist fatalities was a matter for concern. “Of 311 fatalities this year up to last Friday, 48 were motorcyclists, mainly in the 16-30 age group. This group needs to be targeted.”

He expected a further reduction in accidents once the Government had signed commencement orders for the remaining 66 offences under the 2002 Road Traffic Act. To date, just three have been signed.

The Consumer Association has called for a 15% drop in car insurance prices following the fall in the number of road deaths. Chief executive Dermot Jewel said: “Within six months there should and must be a fall in insurance costs to match the fall in road fatalities.”

Conor Faughnan of the AA also said there should be a significant fall in premiums.

“If there is not, then the insurance companies collectively will be left with some embarrassing questions to answer,” he said.