With a greater chance of being breathalysed these days, fewer road deaths are starting to emerge, writes Tim O'Brien
A dramatic drop in the incidence of multiple vehicle crashes has been attributed to the introduction of random breath testing by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The RSA said it believes the sharp reduction in such crashes is because the enforcement message is at last getting through to young, drink-drivers.
According to statistics to be released by the RSA next month there were 79 multiple vehicle crashes in the Republic last year in which three or more people died. However, most of these were in advance of the July introduction of random breath testing by gardaí, and no such collision has taken place since last October.
Authority chief executive Noel Brett told The Irish Timesthat while there was an overall reduction in fatalities in 2006 of the order of 8 per cent, there was a 28 per cent reduction in the period from July last.
Some 30,000 people a month are now liable to be breathalysed and the Traffic Corps is currently undergoing a significant expansion of personnel and resources. The numbers of members of the Traffic Corps stood at 745 gardaí last November and it is being progressively increased to a target level of 1,200.
Gardaí also have a role in enforcement and detection and it now appears that, at last, drinkdrivers believe that if they transgress there is a very strong possibility that they will be caught. And if they are caught the penalty will be severe.
The RSA's statistical analysis is understood to back this perception up, noting that of the 14 people killed in the first 23 days of this year six were pedestrians; seven were drivers and one was a passenger in a car.
Fewer of the vulnerable young male, night-time or early morning drivers were killed on the road in the last six months than the corresponding period the previous year. In the recent past, more older pedestrians than young drivers have been killed, indicating that the previously most vulnerable group was getting the message.
"It is a phenomenal development," said Mr Brett.
However he said it was too early to read any statistical significance into the latest figures which showed that in the first 23 days of the year road deaths were down almost 50 per cent on last year.
While the numbers appeared encouraging, Mr Brett said there were two weekends left in the month and he appealed to drivers to remember to drive safely, reduce speed and wear their seat belts.
He also reiterated the point that drivers were now facing the strong possibility of random breath testing.
Whatever about Mr Brett's reticence an examination by The Irish Timesreveals that the 28 per cent drop in fatalities from July 2006 to end of December 2006, if maintained, is set to lead to the lowest number of road deaths since records began.
Should a 28 per cent reduction be achieved on last year's figure of 368, the road deaths in 2007 would amount to less than 266. Since records began they have never fallen below 300, the lowest being 332 in 1961.
Given the difference in car numbers on Irish roads between 1961 and 2007, the result would be very remarkable.
An analysis of last year's fatal crashes showed the lives of 368 people were lost.
The 2006 death toll is the lowest since 2003, the first full year after the introduction of penalty points for speeding when the number of road deaths fell to 335, and the second lowest since 1965, when 356 people died on the roads.
Several initiatives taken during 2006 contributed to the decline in fatal crashes, but the RSA is adamant the reduction in deaths was most dramatic following the introduction of random alcohol testing.
While this makes it the second safest year on the roads since 1965, 10 times the figure of 368 would have been typically recorded as serious injuries. In road crashes serious injuries are usually very severe, with a high proportion of people unable to return to independent living.
The enforcement of the rules of the road got a significant boost last year with the introduction of 150 extra gardaí to the Traffic Corps and the RSA advertising campaign increased awareness of the results of drink driving.
The introduction of the "full complement" of penalty points offences which included the ban on the use of mobile phones while driving also contributed to road safety.
The RSA is to bring a new road safety strategy for the period up to 2011 to Government in February. This year will also see the highest spend on advertising by the road safety authority, coming in at €6 million. The major aspects of the forthcoming strategy are to be further enforcement and the roll out of privatised speed cameras - further contributing to enforcement and the understanding that transgressors will be caught. While drink-driving was the primary road safety focus of 2007, a major effort to combat speeding will get under way in 2007.
The National Safety Authority is to unveil its statistical analysis alongside its advertising campaign for 2007, in about three weeks' time.
The authority will also reveal details of a worldwide public service advertising award which it has won for its recent 'Just One Drink Impairs Your Driving' campaign.
Mr Brett added that the introduction of random testing also had benefits in other areas. "Burglars for example will be more nervous of meeting a Garda checkpoint and it is well established that such checkpoints around the world detect other crimes."