What do we remember about the Easter Weekend of 1998? The signing of the Belfast Agreement, obviously, and the great surge of hope that it brought. What else? Well, some may recall the unseasonable hail, snow and chilly winds that must have marred many holiday outings. But how many now remember that a dozen people lost their lives on the roads of the Republic? Not many, in all probability; for the sorry truth is that carnage on that scale is simply typical of a bank holiday weekend in modern-day Ireland. As we prepare to enjoy the Easter holiday of 1999, that should give us pause for thought.
For all but the families and friends of last Easter's road victims, whose hearts will be saddened this weekend by the memory of their deaths, those 12 people are lost among the faceless statistics for 1998, which show that 462 people were killed in road accidents. That total - appalling as it is, and equivalent to the toll of an Omagh disaster every three weeks or so - represented an improvement over the 1997 figure of 474. But the current trend is not encouraging: 97 people have died on the roads in the first three months of this year - 11 more than in the corresponding period last year.
One of the strangest aspects of the road deaths issue is that, in terms of visible public concern, it is hardly an issue at all. Rising crime rates and "zero tolerance" - a term that already seems to belong to a forgotten era - featured prominently in the general election that brought the present Government to power. Road safety was hardly mentioned in the campaign. Yet violent crime, even at peak levels, claims only a tenth as many lives as road accidents.
Another contradiction is pointed out in a letter on this page today from Mr Liam Kenny, of the General Council of County Councils. He remarks that the ever-present threat of violent death or serious injury on our roads and streets provokes little public response, compared with the controversies over mobile phone masts or genetically modified food, where the risks to life and health remain far from proven. The convenience and independence which the motor car provides seem to blind us to its dangers. Yet we need constantly to bear them in mind. The grim reality is that it is almost certain that the next edition of this newspaper will have more road deaths to report; but this is not inevitable. As always, the prime responsibility for road safety lies with individual road users. Drivers should remember to belt up, slow down, and avoid alcohol. Pedestrians and cyclists should be careful and vigilant. An Easter holiday weekend with minimal loss to life and limb would be something worth remembering a year from now.