Crash sites to be inspected sooner

All crash sites involving a death or serious injury will be inspected by an engineer and garda within 48 hours to investigate if the road is dangerous, under a new national programme.

The policy was recently approved by senior gardaí, the National Roads Authority (NRA) and all local city and county councils, and is based on a successful pilot of the scheme held in the Kilkenny County Council area.

The policy is designed to provide an immediate remedy to any engineering factors that may have contributed to a fatal or serious collision.

Supt Declan O'Brien of the Garda Traffic Bureau said that under the policy the regional Garda traffic inspector and area engineer will visit the crash site together "as soon as possible - within 24 to 48 hours after a fatal or serious injury collision.

"They survey the scene and look at what engineering improvements need to be addressed. It is imperative that they inspect the scene as soon as possible, otherwise potentially important data may be lost. This is now Garda policy and is an addition to our existing data collection at collisions sites," he said.

Forbes Figors, project manager for road safety with the NRA, said another benefit was that all engineers working within this scheme would carry GPS systems, allowing them to mark the crash location exactly.

"The road engineer brings a GPS box to heighten the accuracy. Gardaí have been using maps, but it is far more accurate to use GPS. Each of the local authorities has been equipped with GPS units for this programme," he said.

In this regard, the new programme can save the engineer time in trying to identify exactly where the crash took place.

"It is very important that we have an accurate picture of where crashes are happening so we can respond . . . so we talk to the gardaí and look at engineering measures," said Mr Figors.

Based on the Kilkenny pilot, in many cases the engineering works required are minor, and involve repairing or replacing signposts or improving sight lines by cutting hedges and verges. The NRA has allocated approximately €7 million per annum for its collisions remedial programme for national routes, and a similar sum is available for secondary roads from the Department of Environment.

Mr Figors said ensuring that the road and weather conditions at the time of a crash were similar to that when the scene was inspected was another reason behind the importance of getting to the crash site quickly.

"We want the investigation to take place as soon as possible. What we think will happen, is that it might be within a 48- to 72-hour period. Maybe a little longer if people are on leave or working shifts."

The new policy is part of a changing approach to remedial road works by the NRA. Every year it identifies crash black spots for remedial works based on reports of multiple crashes at one junction or site.

However, over the next couple of years this programme will be almost completed and the NRA is now looking at new ways to discover when engineering factors are involved in crashes.