It has been a terrible couple of weeks – and a dreadful year – on Ireland’s roads. Some 126 people have died in road crashes so far in 2023, a sharp increase from 102 in the same period last year and 87 in 2019. On current trends, there could be more than 190 road fatalities this year, the highest level since 2014.
If the goal of reducing road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030 is to mean anything, then Ireland has to recommit to achieving this and start taking action. While all road crashes have their own particular circumstances – and we do not know the details of what happened in the recent tragic events – it is clear that the trends are now sharply in the wrong direction. Analysing why is an important part of the work to be done.
Up to 2018, road deaths had fallen sharply over many years. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s annual fatalities frequently exceeded 500. After 2007, when annual road deaths were still at 338, the establishment of the Road Safety Authority and increased enforcement via the Garda Traffic Corps started to yield results. Successive ministers faced down opposition to increase penalty points in areas such as drink-driving and speeding and to tighten rules. Results followed.
Since 2018, the numbers have been on the rise again, with a particular problem on rural roads. There are other trends, too. More crashes are taking place at night and close to one third of the fatalities so far this year are among young people under the age of 25.
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In response, ministers are to consider lowering speed limits, including in rural areas. This may help, but more is needed. The Government needs to renew its commitment to road safety, involving the active participation of senior ministers.
A clear and honest appraisal is needed of the enforcement activity of the gardaí and how they can be best deployed. And the advocacy role of the Road Safety Authority needs to be revived. Now a major organisation also overseeing driver testing and licensing and road worthiness checks, it needs to again become more active in pushing the Government to act. That will mean making itself unpopular at times with its political masters.
This all needs to feed into a review of the road safety plan put in place in 2021 and an acceleration of measures which could make a difference. There remains a build-up of legislative issues to be tackled and advanced.
Driver education is part of the picture, including among younger people. And motorists need to take responsibility too. Garda statistics show far too many are caught speeding or driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. There is a suspicion, too, that the distraction of mobile phones is a factor in increasing crash numbers.
To start the required process, some clear political signals need to be sent. Ireland has a road safety problem and action is needed.