Insurers go on offensive over safety plan targets

The Irish Insurance Federation has expressed strong concern at the Government's ability to meet the targets set out in the Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006 due to delays in introducing legislation vital to the plan.

Mr Niall Doyle, IIF corporate affairs manager and a member of the High Level Group on Road Safety, told Motors that 18 months into the plan, road fatalities are again on the rise.

Two key pieces of legislation central to the plan: outsourcing of speed camera detection and random breath testing, have yet to be introduced, he claimed.

"Without this legislation you may as well throw the strategy in the bin. At the rate fatalities are going, we may go back over 400 this year," noted Mr Doyle.

The strategy aims to reduce road fatalities to less than 300 per annum. However, 375 people died on Irish roads in 2004. As of yesterday, nine more people have been killed than on the same date last year.

When asked if he believed the Department of Transport's focus was on other issues, Mr Doyle replied: "Half-way through the strategy we don't have any indication of when, or if, this legislation will become law.

"I really hope the political appetite for this (the Road Safety Strategy) has not waned. The Minister who introduces these pieces of legislation may not get praise from every lobby group, but he will save upwards of 150 lives per year. Is that not the definition of public service?"

The Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006 sets out ambitious targets. It wants 11.1 million speed checks and 463,000 breath checks per annum by 2006. A garda spokesman was unable to say how many speed or breath checks are currently carried out, because this data is not collated. This is the second road strategy and

includes many unfulfilled aspects of the first, including random breath-testing.

The first strategy (1998-2002) promised random testing by 1999. Random testing has been delayed by concerns that it could infringe on the constitutional rights of the individual, and the Attorney General, Rory Brady, is formulating provisions to uphold these rights.

The Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has said he "hoped" to bring forward this legislation by the end of the

year. A Department spokesman said last night that the Minister does not: "intend to pursue any policy initiative in this area until he is satisfied that a more generally applied system of roadside testing provides clear potential for improving road safety on a sustained basis for the future."

Some progress has been made, according to Mr Doyle. "Minister McDowell came along and formed the Traffic Corps, and appointed Assistant Commissioner Eddie Rock as head of the corps. He also said the number of gardaí

allocated to the corps will be doubled.

"However, rolling out these extra resources will take time. To make the most of existing resources we can make an impact by implementing speed camera and random breath testing legislation."

Mr Doyle said he wanted to negate the argument that speed cameras were just a revenue generating mechanism.

"If you outsource cameras it will be done on the basis that gardaí, in consultation with local communities, control

where they are placed. A massive publicity campaign will tell people where the cameras will be on a given day and experience shows the people who get caught are those who habitually break the law."

Asked if he saw difficulties with the Department of Transport making legislation for the Department of Justice to

enforce, Mr Doyle said there appeared to be an "obvious disconnect between Transport and Justice" which may contribute to the delays.

If the rise in the number of road fatalities was not reversed, Mr Doyle also admitted the trend of lower car insurance premiums would come under pressure "because insurers can’t work at a loss". The strategy was drawn up by the High Level Group for Road Safety which includes representatives from the Departments of Justice, Transport and Environment, the National Safety Council, An Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.