State lacks progress on cutting road deaths

THE Government’s record for reducing the number of deaths on Irish roads was branded among the worst in Europe, according to a new EU-wide survey.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) study of road fatalities revealed the Irish authorities recorded little progress in tackling the high number of fatal traffic accidents between 2001 and 2005.

The survey showed just over a 3% reduction in road deaths in the Republic during that period.

In comparison, many other western European countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden achieved reductions in excess of 20%.

The results rank Ireland with the seventh worst improvement rate among the 25 EU states. The ETSC also noted, that despite some progress in reducing road deaths at the start of the century, the death toll has risen again.

There were a total of 412 people killed on Irish roads in 2001, with the number falling to 399 last year.

The 2005 figures show that there are 97 deaths per million population in Ireland. It is almost twice the death rate of the country with the best safety record, Sweden, with 49 deaths per million population.

An ETSC spokesperson said the first publication of its Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) highlighted how fast progress in reducing road deaths was possible for every country.

A spokesperson for transport minister Martin Cullen referred queries on the issue to the Road Safety Authority. A RSA spokesperson welcomed the report for allowing Ireland’s road safety performance to be benchmarked against best practice in Europe.

“All the key measures are now either in place or on the way as legislation to allow for random breath testing, speed cameras and reform of the driver testing system has been passed,” said the spokesperson. “We believe we have turned a corner since 2005.”