Ireland gets award for halving road deaths since 2001

IRELAND has received a major European award in recognition of almost halving the number of road deaths since 2001.

Transport minister Noel Dempsey received the 2010 Road Safety PIN Award in Brussels yesterday. The award is made by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and marks outstanding road safety performance among EU member states.

Road deaths in Ireland were cut by 50% from 107 per million inhabitants in 2001 to 54 per million inhabitants in 2009, a 41% reduction in eight years.

Ireland now ranks seventh out of 27 EU states and shared the prestigious award with Estonia.

The Government has attributed the decline in deaths to a combination of improvements in road design, education and Garda enforcement.

Ireland’s current Road Safety Strategy (2007-2012) set the aim to reduce deaths, injuries and collisions on Irish roads by 30% and to reduce to 60 road deaths per million inhabitants or a maximum of 252 deaths per year. This target has been achieved ahead of time.

Speaking following the receipt of the award Mr Dempsey paid tribute to all who have embraced the message of road safety.

“I’d like to personally pay tribute to road users in Ireland, for the manner in which they have embraced road safety. It is clear Government policy and investment has been effective in this area. The work of the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána has played a major role in making our roads safer,” he said.

Mr Dempsey said mandatory alcohol testing played a crucial role in lowering the number of deaths.

“The Government is committed to lowering the current maximum legal blood alcohol concentration limit and the Road Traffic Bill 2009 is before the Oireachtas. A network of speed cameras will become operational from October and I hope this will mirror the reduction in overall speed on our roads as it has in other European countries,” he said.

However, the Road Safety Authority has expressed its concern at a recent spike in the number of deaths on Irish roads which is in marked contrast to an overall trend of falling fatalities since 2006.