Sir, - A deal of coverage was given in the media recently to the possibility of future accidents on our railways. This is a cause for concern but, as an Iarnrod Eireann representative pointed out, there has not been a single rail fatality since 1996.
Now imagine the following newspaper headline: "Iarnrod Eireann admits 1997 death toll could reach 460." And assume that these figures were the result of five serious accidents in which, as well as the 460 deaths, hundreds of people suffered serious injuries. Then imagine the Dail questions, at least one tribunal, saturation media coverage.
The above is the actual situation on our roads - a kind of drip-feed compared with the imaginary rail disaster scenario - but accurate in terms of people lost, injured and traumatised.
When will we as a society take our collective ostrich-head out of the sand and recognise that it doesn't matter to the people most affected whether 460 deaths and hundreds of injuries occurred in five accidents or 150? - Yours, etc.,
Wellington Road, Dublin 4.