101 killed on roads this year

One hundred and one people were killed on the Republic's roads this year up to yesterday, according to the gardaí. The figures, which are marginally higher than those for the same period last year, include 35 people who were killed in single-vehicle accidents.

The next highest group of those killed were pedestrians who accounted for 29 deaths while seven motorcyclists and one pillion passenger lost their lives.

Five pedal cyclists are included in the figures as are 22 people who were passengers in cars.

There were six crashes in which more than one person lost their lives. In this category 13 people were killed. The number of drivers killed was 36.

The total of 101, which has stood since Wednesday last, was six more than the same period last year. As such the figures reflect continuing difficulties with implementation of the Government's road safety strategy, The Road to Safety.

The Road to Safety was based on the experience of police in Victoria, Australia, where road deaths have been more than halved from 777 in the five years from 1989. Current levels are around 300 a year.

The Irish strategy was less ambitious, however, and aimed to reduce the number of road deaths by just 20 per cent over 1997 levels, in the five years to 2002. But at 101 deaths so far this year, the numbers indicate even this less ambitious strategy will fail.

According to Mr Geoff Cliffe of the Melbourne Police, the success of the strategy there was based on "a whole of government integrated approach".

In the state of Victoria speeding fines, are posted to offenders within 10 days and 60 per cent of motorists are breath-tested every month on average.

The state also introduced a penalty points system of demerits for drivers' licences. For some speeding fines, motorists simply get a letter in the post within 10 days telling them where to surrender their licence. Speaking at the launch of the strategy in 1998 Mr Cliffe warned: "People need to know they are going to be caught."

While these elements were included in the Irish strategy, they were never implemented. There are speed cameras on few roads and because of resource difficulties, gardaí revealed recently that film is not always present in the cameras. Regular random breath testing has not been introduced.

In relation to the penalty points system, the necessary finance for the Garda computer and staff has not been approved and legislation to enable the process has only recently passed through the Dáil.

The Garda hopes to be able to implement the penalty points system in October, but if so, it will not be a computerised system and will involve communication by post between the Garda and court officers.

The situation has been criticised by the outgoing chairman of the National Safety Council, Mr Eddie Shaw. Mr Shaw is on record as saying that "people who are now dead would be alive today if the strategy had been implemented". He recently said a properly re- sourced strategy could halve road deaths here within one year.