Request for EU inquiry into roads

THE EUROPEAN Parliament’s Petitions Committee is investigating the quality of road signage and general maintenance of local routes, following a request by a Co Kerry family.

The investigation follows a petition submitted by Richard and Kay Keane, whose daughter Eileen died with her boyfriend, Trevor Chute, in a collision with another vehicle at a junction in Co Kerry on April 22nd, 2006.

The Keanes brought the petition due to frustration with the State procedure for investigating fatal crashes and a concern at the quality of signage and road markings on local roads, including the scene of the crash.

The petition was supported by independent MEP for the south Kathy Sinnott, vice president of the Petitions Committee.

The committee enables EU citizens to identify an aspect of European law being ignored or contravened by the member state in which they reside.

According to the Keanes, the Government is disregarding the provisions of the Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive 2006, due to the general poor quality of road signage on local routes, the poor quality of statistical data collected on crashes caused by “road factors” and the lack of an adequate crash investigation procedure.

In the 2006 Road Collision Facts report, “road factors” were listed as the primary cause of 2.5 per cent of the 365 road deaths that year.

Gardaí investigate every fatal crash. However, in cases where no charges arise – as in this instance, as the other driver was blameless – the vast majority of information remains confidential.

The only other investigations are carried out by the local authority and insurance companies. In most cases, these are conducted with a view to defending a potential law suit, rather than determining the cause of the crash.

When the DPP decides not to prosecute, the only remaining access families have to information on the crash is the Coroner’s hearing. However, this process is to determine the cause of death, rather than the cause of the collision.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said there is no need for a national road crash investigation unit similar to those used to investigate rail, sea or aircraft crashes.

Local authorities have resisted attempts by the Health and Safety Authority to enforce standards at work sites on local roads. Legal sources indicate that one reason for this is that there is no provision in Irish law for corporate manslaughter.

The Petitions Committee’s investigations are expected to take about three months.