Six Irish organisations today signed up to a European initiative to reduce fatal road crashes in the EU by 50 per cent by 2010.
Dublin City Council, An Post, Axa Prevention Ireland, the Irish Driving Instructors' Association, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland signed the European Road Safety Charter.
Dublin City Council is the second local authority and the 20 thorganisation in Ireland to sign up to the initiative.
"Road Safety is an issue that affects everyone in Dublin and Ireland. As pedestrians, cyclists, drivers or passengers most road users are exposed to risks on a daily basis on the road network," said Michael Phillips, director of traffic with Dublin City Council.
"Reducing the risk of collisions for all road users is a key objective of Dublin City Council. By signing this charter today Dublin City Council is making a public commitment to road safety and is delighted to become one of the 750 organisations and institutions to sign up to the European Road Safety Charter."
Between 2000 and 2005, there were 95 vulnerable road users (i.e. pedestrians, motorcyclists) killed and almost 3,800 injured on the roads in the Dublin City Council area, Mr Phillips said.
That accounted for 83 per per cent of all fatalities and 53 per cent of all injuries.
Mr Phillips said the council has put in place a number of measures to tackle the issue, including road safety education, road safety engineering and a heavy goods vehicle management strategy.
"Becoming a signatory of the road safety charter places a social responsibility on Dublin City Council to provide a greater focus on road safety. In addition, it gives Dublin City Council the opportunity to share ideas and learn from the best road safety practices and practitioners across Europe and gain inspiration as to how the road safety situation in Dublin City Council can be improved," he said.