Ireland races up EU road safety list

IRELAND HAS done well in emerging among the top 10 best performing countries in the EU in terms of road safety, but must lower alcohol limits and deploy speed cameras to maintain progress.

That is the opinion of the European Transport Safety Council, which yesterday launched a new report placing Ireland ninth out of 25 EU countries for improvements in road safety.

Speaking in Dublin yesterday at the launch of the report , the council's programme manager Graziella Jost described "Ireland's outstanding achievement" as encouraging for road safety organisations all over Europe.

But she said the next steps were to lower the blood alcohol concentration limits and implement the safety camera network "as early as possible in an effort to sustain similar progress in 2008".

The council report which compared the change in the numbers of deaths and serious injuries in 25 EU countries over the years 2006 and 2007, said Ireland had moved up from 16th position in 2005.

On the basis of the figures Ireland was also jointly ranked with Spain for most improved country in numbers of road deaths. Some 338 people lost their lives on the Republic's roads in 2007, compared to 368 in 2006, a reduction of 8 per cent.

The report was welcomed by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey who said much had been achieved, but warned against complacency in tackling road safety.

The Minister pointed out that in 2001 the road death rate in Ireland was 107 per million people. By 2007 it had fallen to 79 - below the EU average of 86 and on the way to a target level of 60.

Mr Dempsey said the "core objective of the Government's Road safety Strategy 2007 - 2012 was "to save over 400 lives".

He told reporters the promised Garda speed camera contract was "not too unusual" in not being awarded almost six months after the tender deadline. While this was a contract which would be awarded by the Department of Justice, Mr Dempsey said he understood the Garda and the tendering companies were still in talks.

Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the safety council, praised Mr Dempsey and the Government for its "vision and strategy" but added that the deployment of speed cameras was a necessary part of that strategy. The important factor in any road safety strategy was, he said the belief among drivers that there was a "very, very strong likelihood that the police will catch you".

Noel Brett, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority, said Ireland's efforts were in contrast to the overall "disappointing" EU average which showed no reduction in road deaths.