Road deaths drop by 93 since last year

Ninety-three fewer people have died on the roads since random breath-testing was introduced on this day last year, when compared with the previous 12-month period.

Mandatory alcohol testing was one of the key elements of the new Road Traffic Bill which was phased in from July 21st last. Other measures introduced under the Bill included banning drivers from holding a mobile phone and giving the Department of Justice the power to introduce the privatisation of speed cameras.

The Garda Press Office said that, since the mobile phone ban was introduced last September, 20,610 drivers had been detected breaking the law, up to the end of June.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said the road death reduction represented a 22 per cent fall in fatalities when compared with the previous 12 months.

Noel Brett, RSA chief executive, said the reduction in road deaths also meant that more than 700 people avoided being seriously or permanently injured in the past year. It is estimated that, for each death on the roads, approximately eight people suffer serious injuries.

While welcoming the reduction in road deaths, road safety campaigners have criticised the Government for failing to introduce compulsory alcohol testing for drivers involved in crashes causing injury.

Public Against Road Carnage (Parc) said it was difficult to understand how the Government could have correctly recognised the need to randomly breathalyse innocent people while allowing drivers who had caused serious injury to walk away from crash scenes without being breathalysed.

Under the legislation, gardaí cannot conduct random breath-testing at the scene of a crash as it must be carried out at designated checkpoints.

Gardaí can, however, breathalyse a driver if they have formed the opinion that the driver is drunk.

Susan Gray, Parc founder, said that it appeared that gardaí frequently did not exercise this discretion.

"I think the figure for alcohol being a factor in crashes would rise from 37 per cent to 70 or 80 per cent if compulsory testing was introduced," she said.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wrote to Parc before the general election, saying Fianna Fáil would introduce compulsory drink and drug testing "without delay" if re-elected but Noel Dempsey, Minister for Transport recently told the Dáil he had no plans to alter the current system as Garda discretion was necessary.

Asked about this yesterday, Mr Dempsey's spokeswoman said "the issue of mandatory roadside alcohol and drug testing is one that is under active consideration by the Department of Transport".

Mothers Against Drink Driving (Madd) said the reduction in the number of people drinking and driving was "not so much a change in attitude as a fear of being caught".

Gertie Shields, Madd founder, said she was "absolutely gobsmacked" that the compulsory testing at crash scenes was not introduced in last year's Road Traffic Bill.

She also called for a further reduction in the alcohol limit and said the drug testing of drivers must be introduced sooner rather than later.

The Green Party's transport spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said his party in Government would be pushing for an increase in the number of mandatory alcohol tests being conducted and a further reduction in the blood alcohol limit.

Labour's transport spokeswoman Róisín Shortall said gardaí must be properly resourced to enforce these laws.

On average, more than 30,000 drivers are randomly breathalysed every month.