Ireland has made only ‘limited progress’ in road safety, says EU report

A MAJOR report on the road safety record of EU member states accuses Ireland of making only “limited progress” in reducing the number of road fatalities since 2001.

The report found the number of people killed on roads in the Republic in the period 2001-2004 fell by 8%, compared to an EU average of 14%.

The European Commission report also revealed children and motorcyclists are killed in disproportionately high numbers in Ireland.

The results were published in the commission’s mid-term review of its own Road Safety Action Programme, which sets the 2010 target of halving the 2001 figure of 50,000 people killed on EU roads.

However, it predicts there are likely to be 32,500 road deaths in the EU in 2010 - instead of its 25,000 target - at the current rate of progress.

The report criticises the lack of reliable data on the extent of drink-driving in Ireland, especially as alcohol consumption was considered one of the primary causes - along with speeding - of all road fatalities.

The document also noted there was much improvement required in the level of seat-belt compliance, despite recent findings showing an 84% compliance rate for drivers and front-seat passengers and a 46% rate for back-seat passengers.

The report stated it was difficult to assess the value of Government resources put into road safety measures.

On a more positive note, it found that graphic road safety advertisements on TV are having a proven effect in changing driver attitudes.

“It can be concluded that Ireland is indeed dedicated to improving road safety and a serious effort is made on all levels of government and administration to achieve the country’s ambitious targets,” stated the report.

However, its findings showed road fatalities began to increase again 12 months after the introduction of penalty points in late 2002 possibly because the scheme had “an initial charm of novelty”.

The EU states with the best road safety records include Malta, Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.

Countries with the highest accident rates include Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.

France has made the most dramatic steps in improving road safety, with fatalities falling by 32% since 2001.

The European Commission also indicated foreign drivers caught speeding in another EU state may face tougher penalties in future.

EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot expressed concern that traffic legislation with regard to non-national drivers was often too vague, especially in terms of the collection of fines and prosecution of offenders.