Deaths on roads down by 27 in 2006

TWENTY-SEVEN fewer people died on Ireland’s roads this year, but road safety groups have warned that more needs to be done to further reduce the number of fatalities.

Provisional garda figures show that 369 people died in road traffic collisions last year, compared with 396 in 2005. The latest fatality was an elderly man who died when his car crashed near Ballinderry in Moate, Co Westmeath yesterday morning.

It’s understood the man was a local 73-year-old farmer. His car was travelling along the road when it struck the wall of an old house at around 11.50am.

On Saturday evening an 80-year-old woman, named locally as Ita O’Brien, died at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda after she and her 73-year-old sister, Nuala, were struck by a car while crossing the road in Laytown, Co Meath, at 7pm on Saturday.

Gardaí said the accident happened outside a newsagents owned by Nuala, who was recovering in hospital yesterday.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said measures introduced during 2006 had a dramatic impact on reducing road deaths — particularly the introduction of random breath testing.

The RSA said before the introduction of random breath testing in July, 20 more people had died compared with the previous year; but since the measure was implemented, that surplus was reduced and a further drop of 30 fatalities recorded, meaning that 50 lives in total were saved. There was also a significant drop — estimated at 400 — in the rate of serious injuries.

The chief executive of the RSA, Noel Brett, said a number of new measures are likely to come on stream in 2007 that will further reduce the number of fatalities and accidents.

He said Transport Minister Martin Cullen had already agreed a number of changes that will enhance road safety, and that some of the measures will come on stream in the first quarter of the year.

Other changes — some of which will require changes to legislation — will be introduced later in 2007.

The RSA has also been allocated an additional €10m to address the backlog of those waiting to take a driving test. The current waiting time averages 28 weeks, down from 62 weeks, but Mr Brett said he hoped this figure would fall to eight or even six weeks.

The RSA has already discussed measures to reduce waiting times with the trade union Impact, and will meet with the union for further discussion this week.

He said work was continuing with embassies and employers, particularly those in the haulage and construction sector, to improve road safety for foreign nationals.

In addition, the Safe Cross Code will be reintroduced in schools as part of an education blitz from pre-schools right through to third level.

The RSA has also reviewed submissions on the new Road Safety Strategy. Mr Brett said the finished proposals will be brought to the RSA’s board in February and to Mr Cullen by early March.

The current road safety strategy expired at midnight last night, but he said there would be “no hiatus” in the absence of a new strategy.