The number of deaths caused through traffic accidents on Irish roads is, according to the National Safety Council, "shamefully high". Even more distressing is the projection that the present level of 461 fatalities will increase by a further 90 within five years, based purely on economic and demographic trends. But these figures are not fixed in stone. They can be reduced by political will, the necessary expenditure, and a public determination to change bad driving habits. Unfortunately, there seems to be a grave lack of will on all three fronts.
Last summer, with considerable fanfare, the Government unveiled a multi-faceted Road Safety Strategy which promised legislative measures dealing with random testing for alcohol; greater enforcement of speed limits and the introduction of penalty points for certain motoring offences that could lead to the loss of driving licences. Measures to improve driving tests and introduce new controls on provisional licences, were also mentioned. Since then, there has been scant action. Some fixed cameras were installed to detect speeding; on-the-spot fines were extended and sixteen new driver testers were employed. But the promised legislation on random testing for alcohol and the introduction of penalty points for certain offences, is still under review. The paucity of official action and the reluctance to spend money on this serious long-standing problem is a disgrace.
On a purely pragmatic basis, there is an unanswerable case for rigorous action. Figures from 1997 suggest the on-going carnage costs society £600m annually. To that end, the National Safety Council is preparing a report aimed at persuading the Government of the substantial payback from investing in road safety.
Because of Government neglect, there are now an estimated 400,000 learner drivers in the State and 30 per cent of those do not have a valid driving licence. People applying for a driving test can wait for up to ten months. Plans are in hand within the Department of the Environment to employ an extra 21 driver testers and there is talk of reducing the average waiting time substantially. But the true urgency and complexity of the problem does not seem to be appreciated. As the chairman of the National Safety Council, Mr Cartan Finnegan, said: "we should be introducing more comprehensive driver testing procedures not struggling to remedy a chronic backlog in applications." Learner drivers, he observed, were being used as scapegoats for the malpractices of other drivers.
Speed is the most common contributory factor to accidents on Irish roads and occurs in 82 per cent of cases. Some 33 per cent of fatal accidents involve an excessive intake of alcohol. The death ratio in traffic accidents is twice that of Britain. And Ireland has the third highest pedestrian death rate within the EU. These are truly horrendous statistics.
Remedial action must not only involve investment in better training, testing and safety procedures, it will require the enforcement of existing laws. The sad reality is that we do not have a traffic police force, such as exists in other developed countries. Garda road checks are infrequent and there is widespread flouting of the law. The figure for uninsured drivers is thought to exceed 20 per cent. And only 55 per cent of Irish drivers wear seatbelts. In that area alone, strict enforcement of the law could save 30 lives a year.