State ‘fails to tackle surge in road deaths’

NATIONAL Safety Council (NSC) chairman Eddie Shaw yesterday claimed lack of political will is contributing to the surge in fatal road smashes.

So far this year, 89 people have been killed, four more than for the same period last year. And last year, 379 died 44 more than in 2003.

"We do not have anything like the level of enforcement or the type of enforcement we should have on our roads today," he said.

"It was planned that it should have been so five and six years ago, at the time of the first road safety strategy.

"The second road safety strategy, covering the period 2004-2006, brought that on further. It said we need to have technology, safety cameras, a higher level of intervention for speeding and for drink driving. And that hasn't happened.

"I think it's a combination of lack of political will and simply that we are too slow to implement things we know we should do.

"There clearly is a nervousness at the political level following the local elections last year when the issue came up of the 'nanny State' a sound byte for a number of government-led measures which were causing some apparent concern to the electorate," he added.

"Research we have done in the safety council would indicate there is overwhelming support among the community at large for appropriate enforcement that objectively and measurably reduces the incidence of collisions, deaths and injuries on the roads."

Research just published shows road traffic injury cases seen in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital fell by 44% in the six months following the introduction of penalty points in October 2002.

The three surgeons who analysed the figures for road accident in-patients linked the penalty points introduction to reduced road traffic accident injuries.

NSC and Vodafone yesterday teamed up to urge motorists to think before using their mobile phone while driving.

A survey revealed 23% of Irish drivers freely admit to using their mobile in the car without a hands-free kit or headset.

Mr Shaw said there was anecdotal evidence use of mobile phones contributed to road accidents.

"There are specific examples where the use of a phone was a contributory factor in a collision," he said.

Over the Easter holiday weekend Vodafone is distributing 100,000 leaflet guides on safe driving.