Road safety must be concentrated on improving driver behaviour

Road crash statistics are bleak, impersonal measurements, stripped of any character or human loss. Behind the figures lie broken lives and family tragedies that are too often ignored by those who drive dangerously, drink to excess and ignore the rules of the road. Articles in this newspaper, entitled Anatomy of a Car Crash by Peter Murtagh, provided insights into the ripple effects a fatal crash can have on family, friends, medical personnel, garda and mortuary staff. Tracing such causes and outcomes may, hopefully, contribute to safer roads during the Christmas season.

Last year, the Road Safety Authority warned that killer behaviour was re-emerging amongmotorists, after years of improving driver performances and a declining number of crashes. The introduction of penalty points for a variety of offences, random breath checks and more visible and active policing all contributed to a reduction in the road carnage that had blighted many communities over decades. Road fatalities declined from 279 in 2008 to 162 in 2012, but increased again to 190 in 2013. So far this year, 184 people have died and there appears little chance that the Government will deliver on its road safety strategy and cut the number of deaths to 124 by 2020. If that is to happen, driver compliance and visible Garda activity will have to increase significantly.

Confronted by worsening behaviour on the roads, the Road Safety Authority encouraged the Government to adopt a stricter penalty points regime this year. Additional penalties were applied for seatbelt, speeding and mobile phone offences earlier this year and dangerous parking, crossing white lines and other breaches were included last week. Provisional licence holders were paid particular attention, as was the requirement to display valid NCT certificates. These changes could contribute to safer roads, but they will amount to window dressing without an increase in motorists compliance and Garda enforcement.

Crazy overtaking manoeuvres, speeding and the abuse of bus lanes reflect a growing complacency by some motorists that they will not be caught and prosecuted. The death toll so far this year has not been confined to 76 drivers. Forty pedestrians have also been killed, many through their own fault. And while some drivers believed themselves invulnerable, passengers suffered the consequences of their delusion.

An increase in Garda roadside activity during the coming weeks will, hopefully, lead to a reduction in the number of fatal and non-fatal crashes that result in deeply traumatised individuals and families. An improvement in driver behaviour is the most basic requirement. While this may be prompted by fear of detection and prosecution, long-term compliance and a reduction in the number of road deaths can only be grounded in respect for the law and care for other road users.

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Road safety must be concentrated on improving driver behaviour