Garda calls for safety on roads

GARDAÍ WILL this weekend appeal to families of drivers in a bid to reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on roads over the October bank holiday.

While the overall number of people killed on the Republic’s roads is down more than 40 on the similar period last year, Garda Chief Superintendent Gabriel McIntyre warned an average of almost five people lost their lives on the State’s roads on the October bank holiday weekend, over each of the last nine years.

This year Chief Superintendent McIntyre said a predicted sudden end to the recent warm spell, switching to wet roads and early morning mist or fog, could have lethal consequences for unprepared drivers.

Over the last nine years, 43 people lost their lives on roads during the October weekend – almost one third of them were vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

He appealed to drivers to be especially vigilant when the clocks go back next Sunday, and it gets darker earlier in the evenings.

He also said drivers should remember that using dipped headlights is an “effective and low-cost method of reducing daytime collisions”.

“A Danish study found a six per cent reduction in daytime multiple-vehicle collisions and a 34 per cent reduction in left-turn collisions,” he said, as a result of using dipped lights. He also quoted a US study which found the use of “daytime running lights” reduced the incidence of fatal collisions with pedestrians and cyclists by 12 per cent. Pedestrians themselves should use high visibility jackets, he said.

The Garda is appealing not just to drivers, but to the families of drivers to ensure motorists were aware of the dangers, particularly of drink or drug driving.

Supt McIntyre was speaking as the Garda unveiled its high-tech Garda Forensic Collision Investigation Unit, aimed at determining the cause of fatal traffic collisions. Head of the unit, Sergeant Colm Finn, said driver behaviour was the key issue behind road safety. He said speed limits of 80km/h were inappropriate on some roads and people driving at that speed were quite often driving too fast.

Sgt Finn also said the design or construction of road had seldom been determined to be the cause of fatal crashes or serious injuries. While speed was regularly blamed, in some conditions drivers could be within the speed limit, but still at a great risk. Even on motorways, he said, where speed limits were at the highest level, at 120km/h, drivers had a duty to be alert as unvaried driving conditions could lead to drowsiness.

The rollout of specialised equipment to each Garda division at a cost of €300,000, is unlikely to mollify Road Safety Authority chief executive Noel Brett who has in the past expressed frustration with waiting periods for information on the cause of collisions.