The Minister of Transport, Seamus Brennan, is about to launch the most important road safety strategy this decade. Daniel Attwood gets an exclusive preview of the document which will shape the future of motoring in Ireland
When the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, launches his much anticipated second road safety strategy later this year, he will reveal plans to put the brakes on speeding drivers and cut road deaths by 25 per cent in two years.
But the new strategy will disguise the fact that, even before it is launched, it's already well on the way to achieving its targets. The unpublished document is adamant that by 2006 no more than 300 people will be killed on Irish roads annually - last year's figure was 339.
The strategy will then go further, predicting that by 2010, there will be half as many people dying on Irish roads as in 2001.
However, the statistics used by the Department as a basis for these targets were taken from data amassed before the introduction of penalty points, the most effective road safety measure ever.
It is widely accepted that inappropriate speed is a contributory factor in many accidents. And, since their introduction, points have substantially changed road behaviour, especially in the area of speed.
In the strategy, Mr Brennan will claim that only 1 per cent of motorists obey speed limits when entering a 30 mph zone and little more than 15 per cent comply when entering a 40 mph zone. But these 2002 statistics do not take into account the effects of points.
The Minister will then say that, over the three-year life of the new strategy, compliance will be raised to 60 per cent in these areas.
However, the National Roads Authority (NRA) is about to publish data revealing compliance levels since the introduction of points scheme. Although the NRA is still assessing the data, it is widely expected that there has been a major increase in compliance levels since 2002.
Indeed, as the new strategy itself states, "indications from the gardaí are that the number of detections for speeding in the last two months of 2002 decreased due to the introduction of penalty points."
It goes on to say that, since November 2002, there have been "significant improvements in speed limit compliance".
In the new strategy, the Minister will also state that he will increase speed limit compliance from 3 per cent to 50 per cent on urban national roads, and from 39 to 80 per cent on non-national roads. These statistics were also taken in 2002.
Another area where Brennan's targets seem to be well on their way to being met is that of seat belt wearing. His target is 90 per cent of front-seat occupants belting up by the end of 2006 - yet 72 per cent were already belting up in 2002 before the impact of points had been felt. This, then, could be another target that's not as unattainable as it first appears.
In the new strategy document, the Minister does address one matter frustrating many drivers. It's widely accepted that dual-carriageways are oursafest roads. According to the NRA, collisions on dual carriageway are 65 per cent lower than on single-carriageways.
And, according to the same set of statistics used by the Department for its new strategy document - the NRA's Free Speed Survey 2002 - only 24 per cent of drivers were speeding on motorways and 43 per cent on dual carriageways prior to the implementation of points.
However, as many motorists will testify, enforcement of speed limits by the gardaí has tended to be focused on dual-carriageways.
Addressing this contradictory enforcement policy, the Minister will state that future speed enforcement measures will be "focused on locations and types of roads where there are known problems with speed-related collisions".
Clearly then, when the roll-out of fixed speed cameras is completed in 2005, they will not be positioned on dual carriageways.
What the strategy will mean to motorists
A massive increase in speed checks - half of all drivers will pass through a speed check every month, or 11.1 million vehicles annually.
A massive increase in drink driving checks - a quarter of all drivers will be "screened" annually, which amounts to 462,500 checks every year.
All speed signs will change to kph, as will all new vehicle speedometers.
Every time a garda comes into contact with a motorist, for whatever reason, the failure to wear a seatbelt will be "addressed".
The widespread use of both covert and overt speed cameras will be introduced. The camera will be operated, but not positioned, by the private sector.
New credit card-style driving licences will eventually include a data chip containing information on points and disqualifications.
All 69 penalty point offences will come into force.
Fixed charges for offences will be handled by private sector.
Eventually, drivers disqualified here will be banned in other EU countries.
Random breath testing with disqualification periods doubled for those who fail.
Suspected drink drivers who pass the breath test to be tested for drugs by officers specially trained in drug-use recognition.
Central crash barriers on all new dual carriageways and all dual carriageways with meridians less than 15m wide.
720 new traffic calming and safety remedial projects across the state.
Incident detection cameras at some dangerous junctions.
Long-term provisional licence holders will have to sit test.
Only licensed driving instructors will be able to train new drivers.
New hard-hitting road safety campaigns to include the dangers of drug driving.
Compulsory training for all new motorcyclists.
L-plates compulsory for all provisional motorcyclists.
A new Rules of the Road to be published in 2005.