We are approaching the most dangerous time of the year. The August bank holiday has, traditionally, produced the greatest number of deaths and serious injuries arising from boating accidents, swimming and road crashes. People drink too much, fail to observe basic safety precautions near water, break the rules of the road - and pay the price. This time, if everybody takes special care and keeps within the law, the outcome could be different.
The Garda Síochána has engaged in a high-profile exercise designed to warn motorists that drink-driving checks will be in operation on an extensive scale during the weekend. There will also be a crack-down on speeding and other road traffic offences. That such an approach is necessary - in which special notice of enforcement is given to the motoring public - is an indictment of the normal behaviour of drivers.
The introduction of random breath-testing some weeks ago brought about an immediate rise of 10 per cent in detection rates. Changing established patterns of unacceptable behaviour may take time. But until motorists expect to be stopped and breathalysed as a matter of course, the number of deaths and injuries caused by drunken driving will continue to rise.
Most fatalities at sea or in rivers and lakes take place because of complacency, a lack of training or a failure to recognise dangerous situations. Sometimes alcohol is involved. Swimming late at night or in the early morning is particularly dangerous. And boat users are now legally obliged to wear life jackets while on the water. The standard of water safety is being improved. And there was a reduction in the number of deaths by drowning last year. Given proper care and attention, people should be able to enjoy water-based sports and the promised weekend sunshine in relative safety.
In contrast, the behaviour of road users has been deteriorating. Some 240 people have died on the roads this year, the majority of them as a result of speeding, drinking or drug taking. Nearly half of those killed were drivers. But 40 pedestrians and 21 motorcyclists also died. And the cause, in many cases, was inattention or excessive speed.
Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has been criticised for not immediately invoking penalty points for those motorists who use hand-held mobile telephones. His failure to do so is incomprehensible, given the publicity he and his predecessor, Seamus Brennan, generated on the issue. Even if there is a shortage of traffic police to enforce an expanded penalty points system, there seems to be little point in passing legislation if it is not implemented. This lackadaisical approach to the strict enforcement of road safety measures has been a hallmark of Government performance. And it sends the wrong signal to the motoring public. In spite of that, all road users should make a special effort this weekend to obey the law and remain sober. Past experience demonstrates that the price of not doing so will be measured in lost lives.