Lack of garda presence blamed for poor road safety

An international road safety expert has reportedly blamed the lack of a visible garda presence for the continuing levels of speeding and drink-driving on Ireland’s roads.

Reports this morning said Fred Wegman, from the Dutch-based Institute for Road Safety Research, failed to encounter one garda speed check during a recent inspection throughout Ireland.

Mr Wegman was commissioned by the Government’s High Level Group on Road Safety to investigate ongoing high levels of road deaths in Ireland. He reportedly concluded that the public regarded the chances of being caught speeding or drink-driving as very slim.

Meanwhile, the Government is reportedly planning to significantly increase the number of speed and drink-driving checks in the next three years in an effort to improve road safety.

The Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats coalition was planning to have 450,000 drink-driving inspections carried out annually, compared to the current rate of around 13,000.

The reports said the coalition was also planning to increase the number of speed checks from the current rate of 333,000 per year to 11 million per year.

The figures are apparently contained in the Government’s unpublished road safety strategy for 2004 to 2006.