Gaybo blames road deaths on three decades of Government neglect

ROAD safety supremo Gay Byrne yesterday blamed 30 years of Government neglect for the country’s latest spate of roads deaths.

Between Sunday morning and early yesterday 12 people lost their lives in eight separate accidents.

But Byrne, chairman of the Road Safety Authority since March, said the country’s grim record on roads deaths could not be changed overnight.

Speaking to RTÉ, he said: “We cannot bring about change in a week, a fortnight or a year.

“We are dealing with 25 or 30 years of complete neglect in this area by successive governments.

“You can’t catch up on 25 to 30 years of neglect in a week, a month or a year.

“I’ve said from day one that it would be a long dragged-out fight and it would take a long time.

“Legal changes have to go through due process and that takes time.

“It is dispiriting and depressing but all we can do is the best we can in bringing about change”.

Mr Byrne singled out random breath-testing, extra speed cameras and a ban on mobile phones — all being introduced later this year — as measures which would improve road safety.

Motorists would also stand far less chance of getting off with speeding when the new speed cameras are introduced.

Mr Byrne said: “We will have fixed and travelling speed cameras so that odds are shortened against drivers not being ‘clicked’ at some stage by speed cameras.

“After a while when the penalty points come through the post for the 2nd and 3rd time then perhaps people will realise the points are building up and do something about their speed.”

The guards were doing their best but lacked the resources to do everything the public expected of them, he said.

Mr Byrne reserved harsh criticism for motorists who still ignored the road safety message, despite his department’s best efforts.

Drivers must start taking responsibility for themselves and could improve road safety by sticking to the speed limit, he said.