This bank holiday weekend will bring forth another drive by the Garda Síochána to reduce the carnage on our roads. Any increase in the visibility of gardaí in this context is welcome even if it is a regrettably transient phenomenon. So far this year 22 lives have been lost on our roads, up from 219 this time last year. Over the August Bank Holiday in 2004 five people were killed and 89 injured.
The Garda campaign comes as the Government prepares to privatise speed cameras. Under the proposal, hundreds of mobile speed detection units will be erected in hidden locations on the road network to detect errant drivers, particularly at accident blackspots. No one can sensibly criticise any effort to reduce the appalling volume of fatalities on our roads.
Coincidentally, the Government initiative coincides with a debate in Britain on the operation of speed cameras which number about 6,500 there. British transport authorities are awaiting a report on the effectiveness of such devices. They have stopped signing-off on new camera locations until the research is published in the autumn. The study by University College London will examine how cameras work on the road and where and how they are best used.
Bad driving, and not just speeding, is a major cause of road deaths and must be addressed. As the National Safety Council (NSC) has correctly pointed out, staying within the legal speed limit is not sufficient. Motorists must drive at speeds appropriate to prevailing weather and road conditions and must not view speed limits as offering carte blanche to proceed at the stated speed regardless of other factors.
The problem for all those concerned with road safety - as highlighted by the NSC - is that a new network of speed cameras, whether privately or State-run, will not detect inappropriate speeds. A speed camera will not identify a drink driver nor a so-called "boy racer" overtaking on a bend.
We are still awaiting also the introduction of several key aspects of the Department of Transport's road safety strategy: a law banning drivers talking on the phone while behind the wheel and the full range of penalty point offences. Fixating only on speed may yield limited results.
Proper and consistent Garda enforcement is a crucial element in stamping out bad driving behaviour. Equally, motorists must take responsibility for their actions. Ultimately their own lives and those of other road uses are quite literally in their hands. Drive safely this weekend.