New legislation urged as road death toll rises to 11

Another four people have died in vehicle-related accidents, bringing to 11 the number killed in the Republic in the last four days.

The latest to die was a 34-year-old man killed when trapped by a lorry on which he was working in a car-park in the Co Cork village of Tarelton, near Macroom, yesterday morning.

Gardaí said they were awaiting more details to determine if it should be classified as a road traffic or an industrial accident. Another man died in hospital yesterday from injuries sustained when his car crashed on the Ardagh road in Longford town on Sunday. He was the second man to die in this accident, the other passenger in the car having died on Sunday night.

The fourth accident victim, a pedestrian in his 60s, was struck by a car shortly before noon on Sunday at South Mall, Westport. The man died as a result of his injuries in Mayo General Hospital on Sunday night.

Seven people - including two young men from Northern Ireland - lost their lives in the three days up to yesterday morning.

The deaths have provoked calls for a new Road Traffic Act from Opposition spokespeople. Ms Róisín Shortall of Labour said public confidence in current arrangements was "very low". Fine Gael justice spokesman Mr Jim O'Keeffe criticised the Minister for Justice over a legal challenge to the Garda speed detection equipment. The Fine Gael transport spokesman, Mr Denis Naughten, warned the road carnage would continue without emergency legislation.

The chairman of the National Safety Council, Mr Eddie Shaw, has expressed concern about the number of accidents, and clashed with the director general of the Law Society, Mr Ken Murphy, over legal challenges to road safety measures.

Mr Shaw said there was "nothing shameful" about his comments that the legal challenges were not supportive of the common good.

Mr Shaw's comments had provoked Mr Murphy, who said everyone accused of an offence should only be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Speaking on the RTÉ lunchtime news yesterday, Mr Murphy said he was quite sure "every solicitor in Ireland" would take offence at the remarks, which could be taken to mean that solicitors were not interested in an increase in levels of road safety. Mr Murphy described Mr Shaw's comments as "a new low in debate".

However, speaking to The Irish Times last night an unrepentant Mr Shaw said it was well known that a successful road safety strategy "would result in a reduction in legal activity connected to personal injury cases.

"In addition to the road safety strategy, the Government has acted in the common good by setting up the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. It is a matter of record that the Law Society has opposed the PIAB."

In Britain, Mr Shaw said, 80 per cent of road traffic accident cases were settled outside the adversarial legal system, while here 80 per cent of road traffic accidents were settled within that system. "It must be in the common good to want to see less challenge to safety legislation and fewer costs associated with settlements."