Should the Garda be provided with specialised cars, rather than regular family saloons with the radio taken out? Oonagh Charleton investigates
At least seven gardaí have been killed while on duty in serious road accidents, and the focus is now on whether the cars provided to them are up to the task at hand.
Garda safety behind the wheel is again under serious scrutiny, following calls by the Garda Representative Association for the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell to take urgent action.
A proposal has been made to decommission force vehicles and take them off the roads after 100,000 miles.
Comparisons are being made with Britain, where use of police-specification Volvo patrol cars is seen as a crucial step towards protecting officers while driving.
Michael Kirby, president of the GRA, argues that family saloons are "inadequate" and that when involved in high-speed collisions, officers simply "haven't a hope".
"I would like to see, if possible, vehicles either being reinforced, or the introduction of bigger or stronger vehicles. Safety is paramount to us."
He also acknowledged that the standard saloon cars used by the Garda are not designed to protect the occupants against being purposefully rammed at full speed.
However, Toyota Ireland, one of the main suppliers of vehicles to the gardaí, believes that standard specification on new cars is so high now, they are likely to meet most requirements without adjustment. Models supplied to the Garda by Toyota include Yaris, Camry and Corolla.
Cars such as these are tested by the Garda for suitability and all have two airbags but are not reinforced in any way, so as not to interfere with the original manufacturing design.
In fact the majority, if not all, of the fleets "family cars" have no special modifications other than shatter-proof windows on the front, sides and rear.
This is unlike the situation in Britain, where vendors such as Volvo can add features such as armoured protection before delivering vehicles.
However, in the North, Chief Insp Brian Kee of the PSNI's road development branch is quite confident that saloons used for special police duties are up to standard.
"Before we purchase vehicles, we go through a stringent evaluation process and operations testing process. Safety is very much paramount to us and we are conscious of it at all times."
There are stringent standards within the PSNI when it comes to driving, which also come under health and safety legislation.
All officers must undertake four-week standard courses, which cover tests, traffic and driving skills.
Officers who go on to high speed work must take an additional four weeks training.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that similar courses take place here.
However, trainee gardaí only experience two weeks of basic driver training compared to their PSNI colleagues.
A former member of the GRA, John Tuohy, argued recently in the Garda Review that while the driver training schools are excellent, there is not enough training and too few instructors.
He also commented that many drivers operate on a 'permission basis' for far too long before receiving their training.
And what of the vehicles themselves and the safety standards they meet?
While the 2000 Mondeo has adoptive dual stage front airbags, front and side seat airbags and side curtain airbags, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and four-wheel disc brakes, some of the earlier models are not so well equipped.
Those with standard safety features also suffer the wear and tear of use along with the normal ageing of cars.
The European New Car Assessment Program or Euro NCAP have determined in recent crash tests that the 2001 Mondeo, Almera and Peugeot 307 are in fact on an even par, with four-star ratings for front and side impact rating and two for pedestrian test rating.
The 1990 Toyota Corolla has three and two stars respectively.
However, the Renault Laguna earned the maximum five star rating for front and side impact, edging it ahead of our most commonly used squad cars.
Earlier Almeras, like the 1999 1.4, did not fare well, with only 41 per cent success during tests with frontal impact problems. Ultimately price is a main determining factor, the cost of purpose-built patrol cars similar to those used in Britain is an issue of contention.
One Garda source claimed that it probably comes down to money and resources, and a new fleet of specialised vehicles was "simply not an option" at present.
However, according to the Department of Justice spokesperson: "If there are any proposals put forward by the Garda, they will of course, be considered by the minister."