Invalid comparison of road fatality figures

YOUR columnist Ryle Dwyer, referring to traumatic brain injury (February 14), claims “the road safety campaign launched in 1998 has clearly been a success. The monthly fatality rate dropped from 39 per month in 1997 to 23 per month in 2008”.

It is absurd to claim that because two events coincide one is the cause of the other. Lots of other things happened in 1998 and there are numerous other factors involved.

This is pure speculation — but it doesn’t stop the Road Safety Association from congratulating itself. In my view, most of the association’s road safety campaigns encourage dangerous driving.

To take just one example, showing a mangled car and saying the driver emerged unscathed encourages drivers to take more risks, thus endangering others because they believe they are safe as long as they are wearing a seat belt. The introduction of seat belt legislation has coincided with increased pedestrian casualties in other countries.

The e30 million a year the Governments spends on ‘road safety’ campaigns would be better spent on grants to voluntary groups who are independent of the Government and the road lobby.

Michael Job

Rossnagrena

Glengarriff

Co Cork