Sir, – Prof Eugene O’Brien (January 4th) makes the point that the decrease in fatalities during the Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012 is largely due to Ireland’s investment in inter-urban motorways in the Celtic Tiger years. While there is no doubt that the construction of inter-urban motorways has made a significant contribution to the reduction in deaths and injuries on Irish roads, it is noted that the biggest reductions have occurred in rural counties which have no motorways. Ireland’s success in implementing the Road Safety Strategy is in fact due to a broad range of actions undertaken under the headings of education (school- based programmes, driver training and population-based awareness raising, etc); engineering (vehicle and built infrastructure); and enforcement (lower drink-drive limits, speed enforcement, penalty points system, and so on).
Ireland’s success in achieving seven years of sustained reductions in road deaths is due to the sustained efforts of all of the Government departments and agencies involved but most importantly due to a significant change in the way Irish road users have embraced road safety and personal behaviour.
Irish attitudes to safe road behaviour and personal responsibility have changed dramatically in the last decade and that, I would argue, is the single biggest factor in the 56 per cent decrease in road deaths since 2006.
Ireland is currently the sixth-safest country in Europe for road users and, if we can avoid complacency, there is absolutely no reason why Ireland should not strive for and achieve first place. Our citizens expect and deserve no less. – Yours, etc,