As the National Safety Council compiled its 1999 annual report 62,000 young people were sitting their Leaving Cert, the council chairman, Mr Eddie Shaw, said yesterday. "In eight years' time about 1,000 will be dead, killed in road crashes."
Mr Shaw said the pace of implementation of vital areas of the five-year Government strategy were "deadly slow" and admitted members of his statutory agency were frustrated at the levels of investment in the project.
Targets to cut the number of cars speeding by 50 per cent and increase seat-beat wearing to 85 per cent have already been revised downward by the second interim report of the multi-agency high-level group on road safety. Levels of fatalities, 254 so far this year and 413 in 1999, have refused to dip below 400 in 10 years: "134 young people died on our roads last year, over twothirds in car crashes. This level of carnage is set to continue if serious investment is not made in road safety actions," said Mr Shaw.
Last month the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, announced the introduction of legislation for the penalty-point system first mooted in 1998.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Molloy said the Government remained committed to the allocation of resources; the August bank holiday death toll of 11 highlighted the need for all the organisations associated with the strategy to "maintain their full commitment to achieving the goals". Mr Molloy said careful consideration had been given to the type of penalty-points scheme best suited to the enforcement of traffic law here. "We have looked at systems in other states and will apply their experience where it is appropriate."
However, Mr Shaw stressed yesterday that the foundations of the system were not deep enough to support the penalty-points scheme. He said adequate funding had not yet been allocated to setting up the computer system enabling fines or summonses to be delivered.
The development of a drivers' register and installation of speed cameras were not yet complete. He also called for central management of the road plan.
The Insurance Federation of Ireland added its voice of frustration. Mr Mike Kemp, chief executive of the federation, said his members were at the "same place" as the council in scepticism about the level of the Government's political will on reducing the level of fatalities.
Commenting on Mr Molloy's statement, Mr Kemp said: "We would welcome any positive statement that will give us confidence in the Government." He confirmed that the federation had deferred until September a decision on the allocation of £250,000 in additional funding to the safety council until the pace of implementation in the strategy is accelerated.
The council had budgeted a drink-driving commercial with the money and this will not go ahead if the funding is not granted. The federation already funds the council to the tune of £750,000 annually.
Up until this year the gardai had reason to believe they were making progress in efforts to reduce road fatalities. Operation Lifesaver, launched in 1997, reduced road fatalities from 472 deaths that year to the current levels.
The handing out of 130,000 on-the-spot speeding fines so far this year has not had the intended effect because people appear not to be sufficiently deterred by a £50 payment.
Mr Shaw stressed the penalty point system would eventually eclipse fines as a deterrent. He also spoke out strongly against the licensing system, which sees 380,000 provisional licence-holders free to drive on Irish roads.
It is understood steps are being taken to address the problem with increases in the number of driving testers and test centres.
"Our system is far too liberal. There simply isn't the Garda manpower to enforce the provision that first-time holders must be accompanied. There appears to be an anomalous situation with second and third provisional licences and people don't have to be accompanied at all. Young people have to learn that cars are dangerous machines that have to be controlled," he said.