THE DEATHS of eight people over a five-day holiday period provides grim evidence that public attitudes to road safety remain ambiguous. The surge in fatalities has brought the total number of deaths on our roads this year to 55. And while that figure is a considerable reduction on the number killed last year, it represents a huge waste in human potential along with dreadful pain and loss for the families directly concerned.
We have to take greater responsibility for our actions. And more needs to be done on the legislative and enforcement front by Government and An Garda Síochána.
A gradual improvement in the behaviour of road users has been driven by stricter enforcement measures. The establishment of a Garda Traffic Corps and more frequent checks for drink-driving and penalty point infringements have modified the behaviour of motorists. The number of offences involving seat-belts almost halved last year. This was a considerable achievement. And it contributed to the lowest annual death toll on our roads since records began. Seat-belts can cut fatality rates in a crash by up to 50 per cent. In spite of that, feckless parents are consistent offenders and they put the lives of their children at risk.
Elsewhere, the news was equally disappointing. More than 1,000 motorists were arrested for driving while intoxicated in January alone. And while that figure represents a small reduction over recent years, the number of drunken offenders who are putting their own lives and those of others at risk is much too high. Pedestrians remain the second most vulnerable road users.
Having made real progress in reducing the number of road deaths and serious injuries in recent years through the involvement of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), any attempt to save money by cutting the number of Garda roadchecks should be resisted. As things stand, motorists are not sufficiently worried about Garda detection to deter them from taking risks.
This time last year, Fianna Fáil backbenchers rejected a suggestion from the RSA that the blood alcohol limit for motorists should be reduced to EU levels, on the grounds that it would affect rural pubs and make life miserable for local farmers. As a consequence, legislation dealing with the issue was deferred until after the local elections. That Government response reflects much of what is wrong with Ireland today. Everybody is in favour of safer motoring, until the measures have an impact on us personally. Then we have second thoughts. Civic duty should take precedence over such selfish interest.