The diversion of Garda resources towards policing European presidency events has been blamed in part on the rise in the number of road deaths this year, writes Liam Reid
It follows the publication yesterday of figures showing more than 1,000 drivers have now accumulated more than six penalty points.
One of the State's most prominent road safety experts warned that the rising number of road deaths this year was because of a low enforcement level by Garda authorities who, he said, were not provided with sufficient overtime funding by Government.
Mr Eddie Shaw, chairman of the National Safety Council, said Garda resources had been diverted away from traffic enforcement towards the EU presidency, anti-terrorism measures and tackling anti-social behaviour.
He also warned that the Garda had insufficient resources at present to implement a raft of road safety measures planned by the Minister for Transport for later this year, including random breath tests.
The introduction of penalty points had seen the rate of road deaths drop initially to 20 per month, which would have been one of the lowest rates in the world, but this had risen to 30 per month for the first three months of this year, according to Mr Shaw.
The initial drop was caused by a perception among drivers that they would be caught speeding, Mr Shaw said.
"That perception was significantly different from the reality."
"I'm not blaming the gardaí," Mr Shaw said. "They have a fixed resource and a fixed budget."
More that 130,000 drivers have incurred penalty points, according to the latest figures. Twenty drivers had accumulated 10 points, just one offence short of disqualification.
Some 842 drivers were on six points, two on seven points, 115 on eight points and one driver on nine points. One driver has been disqualified on reaching the maximum level of 12 points.
The Department of Transport has rejected suggestions that the penalty points system is no longer working, following the rise in road fatalities.
A spokesman for the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said that a number of tragic, but unusual, multiple death accidents had driven up the rate.
Ninety-six people were killed on Irish roads in the first three months of this year, compared with 74 in the same period last year, following the introduction of penalty points.
"Over the first 17 months of the penalty points system, there were 103 less fatalities on Irish roads, compared with the previous 17 month period," said the spokesman.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Brennan did acknowledge the increased level of road fatalities this year.
"There is now an urgent need for all involved in bringing about the welcome change in driver behaviour we are seeing on the roads to redouble their efforts so that this unacceptable carnage on our roads is stopped."