The largest-ever survey of Irish motorists' behaviour and attitudes to road safety is to take place in August. Michael McAleer reports
Over 1,200 respondents are due to take part in the anonymous survey which aims to identify drivers’ attitudes to issues such as speeding, drink driving and road rage.
It’s hoped the results will reveal the success or otherwise of various Government initiatives on road safety and campaigns by road safety organisations. The results will represent a benchmark and the survey is to be repeated on an annual basis.
Sponsored by Advance Pitstop and FBD Insurance, the survey has been prepared and will be analysed by the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology. The sponsors will distribute questionnaires through
various outlets and offices.
At all the 34 Advance Pitstop outlets and 50 FBD offices, motorists will
be asked to fill in the anonymous questionnaires and either deposit them in a box there or return them by freepost.
The findings should enable the Government and road safety strategists
to identify the views of Irish motorists towards issues such as drink driving. They should also indicate whether age, gender or location play a part in attitudes to the various issues.
"It’s important, with the number of road fatalities now back to pre-penalty points levels, that the attitude of Irish motorists is properly assessed," said Terry Lennon, managing director of Advance Pitstop. "The findings may provide further clues to the factors contributing to our poor road safety levels."
The findings of the survey are expected to be announced in September when they will be submitted to the Government.
According to Adrian Taheny of FBD: "If we are to reduce the frequency and severity of road accidents, we need to establish not just what happens but more importantly why it happens."