A special effort will be made by the Garda Síochána on this bank holiday weekend to reduce the number of deaths on our roads and to instil a sense of caution into a wayward motoring public.
Traffic checkpoints will be mounted across the State, and members of the Garda will concentrate specifically on enforcing the law in relation to driving under the influence of drink or drugs, speeding and the wearing of seat belts.
It is regrettable that what should be a normal role for the Garda - enforcing the traffic laws - is being treated as a special, short-lived occasion, with attendant publicity. Such an approach reflects a shortage of Garda manpower and other resources. It also demonstrates a failure of political will by this Government to treat road-traffic offences with the kind of priority they deserve.
Nevertheless, any increase in the visibility of members of the Garda on our roads is to be welcomed, even if it is a transient phenomenon.
This weekend last year, six people died in car crashes and 87 were seriously injured, devastating the lives of their families and loved ones and imposing huge costs on society. Since January, some 302 people have died in traffic accidents and the final figure for 2004 is likely to exceed last year's total. Having fallen to an average of 20 deaths a month, following the introduction of a penalty points system in 2002, the figure has now risen to 30, as motorists gradually lose their fear of being detected and, as a consequence, revert to old - and in some cases lethal - driving habits.
However, in spite of the low level of enforcement, there are signs that car users are modifying their behaviour. Some 84 per cent of car drivers and front seat passengers now wear seat belts and, last year, up to 50 lives were saved as a result. However, only 46 per cent of rear seat passengers wear seat belts and, given the incidence of death and injury caused by relatively low speed collisions, that must change.
Speed, drink and drugs are the main killers on our roads. And while an active traffic police corps has been shown in other countries to be a significant incentive to compliant behaviour, there is an urgent need for changes in our social attitudes. Driving under the influence of drink must be seen for what it is: selfish, destructive behaviour.
In spite of that, 90 per cent of those breathalysed last Christmas exceeded the alcohol limit. Peer influence must be used to alter that mindset. The Garda can only do so much. It is up to drivers themselves to make the roads safer.