Mrs Susan Gray, Inishowen, Co Donegal
M. 086 3773784
susan@parcgroup.ie

In 2009, 15 people were killed on Donegal roads including 2 members of the Garda Siochana. Garda Robbie McCallion (29) died in April after he was struck by a stolen car in Letterkenny and Garda Gary McLoughlin (24), who was stationed in Buncrana, was killed when a car crashed into his parked patrol car.
*Although the number of road deaths in Donegal has reduced over the years, the number of 'reported road collisions' has not dropped and remains at around 1,300 since 2005.

In 2007 22 people lost their life on Donegal roads, 2 of which were killed in Inishowen.
In 2008 17 were killed on Donegal roads of which 6 were in Inishowen.

31 December - 2008 Safest Year on Record

Road Fatalities 1959 - 2008*

†Road Safety Strategy 2007 - 2012 Target
* Source - National Roads Authority/ERU/Fíorais Thimpistí Bóthair/ RSA

2008 was the safest year on Ireland's roads since records began.

While 279 people tragically lost their lives on Irish roads in 2008, it is the lowest recorded number of road deaths in this country. The earliest recorded figure for road deaths is 1959 when 306 people were killed in road collisions.

Despite the fact that there are now over eight times the number of licensed vehicles and licence holders in the state compared to 1959 road deaths are 10% lower.

Table 1

Year	Road Deaths	Licensed Vehicles	Licence Holders
1959	306	278,000	305,000
2008	279	2,441,564‡	2,539,090‡

‡ 2007 figures

The figures are also in stark contrast to the worst year for road deaths ever recorded when 640 people were killed in collisions in 1972.

A breakdown of figures for 2008 shows that 59 lives were saved in 2008 compared to 2007. In total 279 people lost their lives in 2008 compared to 338 in 2007 an 18% reduction.

Table 2 Road Deaths by Road User Category 2008

Road User	No.Fatalities2008	%
Pedestrian	47	17
Driver	132	47.8
Passenger	54	18.5
Motorcyclist	30	10.9
Cyclist	14	5.1
Other	2	0.7
	279	100

Some of the key statistics for 2008 include;

•   42% of road deaths were under 25 years of age.   One third between 16 and 25
•   46% of road deaths occurred at the weekend.   Accounting for a fifth of road deaths Sunday was   the most dangerous day of the week
•   The hour between 9pm and 10pm was the most   dangerous period in the day, with 36 deaths (13%)
•   The average monthly fatality rate was 23.
•   At 18 deaths December 2008 is the lowest recorded   month in decades

Some of the highlights for the RSA in 2008 included:

• Ireland was ranked 9th in Europe for road safety
  
  
• A total of 470,000 people were offered a driving test and the average waiting time now stands at 9 weeks.
  
  
• Over 1,800 applications were received from driving instructors to become Approved Driving Instructors (ADI). By the end of April 2009 all will have been through the three stage test and it will be illegal to deliver driving instruction for reward if not a registered ADI.
  
  
• The RSA rolled out a new Transition Year Road Safety programme in secondary schools
  
  
• Distribution of over 500,000 high visibility jackets and armbands to the public
  
  
• Promotion of child car seat and seatbelt safety through the 'Check it Fits', 'Seatbelt Sheriff' campaigns
  
  
• Campaigns that increased general awareness of speeding, drink driving and driver fatigue
  
  
• Research and papers on; collisions, child casualties, motorcycle casualties, blood alcohol levels, seat belt compliance; speeding compliance, safety in our cities and work related driving.
  
  
• Completion of a comprehensive review into the standard of fitment of safety belts on buses
  
  
• The RSA participated in a an unprecedented number of commercial vehicle Roadside Enforcement Checkpoints and Premises Inspections checking over a quarter of a million drivers hours tacographs
  
  
• Conducted and published a review of the Commercial Vehicle Testing system

Priorities for the RSA in 2009 include

• Continued implementation of the Governments Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012
  
  
• In early 2009 the RSA will launch a new IT system which will improve the quality of service being delivered to driving test customers
  
  
• Work has commenced on a study looking at how Irish people learn to drive; this will enable the RSA to develop recommendations on how to reform the way people learn to drive
  
  
• In 2009 the RSA will focus major awareness campaigns on; Drug driving and pedestrian safety.
  
  
• Conduct studies into the use of Simulators,
  Recidivism, Motorcycling, Cycling, Road User Profile and Behaviour, Mobile Phone Usage, Speed limits
  
  
• Ensure Commercial Vehicle Testing Reform recommendations are implemented. Conduct review of training for commercial vehicle testers.
  
  
• Target persistent offenders who breach driver's hour's rules.
  
  
• Strengthen links with An Garda Síochána and other Enforcement Agencies (UK and NI) particularly with regard to information exchange and data capture.
  

 

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) report April 2007.

Ireland is ranked as one of the worst countries in Europe for alcohol related road crash deaths by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) who monitors the progress of European countries in tackling drink-driving fatalities.

Their report reveals that we are 5th highest out of 27 countries for drink-driving deaths and the worst for collisions involving 17-24 year olds.

Published in April 2007 it highlights the fact that Ireland has also got the highest drink-driving alcohol limit in Europe, at 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Their report on enforcement across all EU countries shows that a reduction in drink-driving limits (blood alcohol concentration), supported by proper enforcement and public-information campaigns, can reduce drink driving.

The EU report also hits out at Ireland for failing to produce official statistics on the number of drink-drive fatal crashes happening in Ireland since 2003. (28.2pc) *For the Irish figure, the council had to rely on a recent investigation carried out by a coroner into road deaths in 2003.

Fatalities are automatically tested - during their autopsy, for drink and drugs.
No reports of how many people have lost their lives on our roads as the result of drink driving have been done for the past 3 years.

Are our dead the only ones being tested for alcohol after a road traffic collision?

*PARC believes that if more detailed information were available- the number of fatalities caused by drinking could be much higher.

ETSC say that the authorities here have "an alarming lack of knowledge" about the role of alcohol in road deaths. Ireland is one of seven member states not properly monitoring efforts to cut drink-driving fatalities.

According to the ETSC report, only 4% of Irish drivers have been checked for alcohol over the last three years and only 3% were checked on more than one occasion. The figures are rising now since the introduction of random breath testing but the public believe that if we are to get a true figure then ALL drivers involved in road traffic collisions must be tested.

Speed is the single biggest cause of road traffic deaths and injuries across the European Union. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) reports that legal limits are insufficiently enforced.
The Garda Forensic Collision Investigation Unit is being deployed to probe all fatal and serious injuries arising from road crashes using hi-tech equipment.

Poor back roads carrying speed limits of 80kph are killing and injuring motorists. Sgt. Colm Finn, head of the Forensic Collision Investigation Unit based at Dublin Castle, said that the normal speed limit of 80kph is quite often too fast. On rural roads in places like Donegal, Kerry and west Clare, this was the case.. On many such roads, it was physically impossible to drive at 80kph; he said suggesting road engineers consider putting lower advisory speed limits.

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ETSC places Ireland in twenty second place- almost at the bottom of their list for change in road deaths between 2001-2006.
France won the first PIN award for their country's outstanding achievement in improvement in road safety. Between 2001 and 2005 France decreased the yearly number of deaths by 35%. They brought about this by the authorities making road safety an issue of national priority in 2002- fully automated speed camera system and tightening police checks and sanctions for all major traffic offences.
On accepting the award Cecil Petit said :
"France's success shows that fast progress depends crucially on political leadership in combination with a sound, evidence-based policy".

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CAWT (cooperation and working together)
Steering to Safety Project www.cawt.com

Their findings of their report research undertaken on border road safety.

The most common contributory factor in all fatal collisions across the four years 2001 to 2004 in the republic's border counties and Meath was the consumption of alcohol (37.4%) followed by excessive speed (27.3%) and inattention (18.8%). Alcohol was the main contributory factor in single-vehicle collisions (57.3%) and those collisions involving a pedestrian (42.9%).

Fatal single vehicle collision problem involves 20-24 year old male drivers. These are driver only collisions.

Donegal has the highest number of collisions in the border counties from 1999 to 2003 and the largest proportion of single-vehicle collisions in the border counties from 1996 to 2003.

Donegal has the largest proportion of fatal (31.3%) and serious (34.7%) collisions from 1999 to 2003.

Single-vehicle collisions were the most common type of fatal collision in Donegal (49.3%)

Donegal has the highest proportion of fatal single-vehicle collisions (30.8%) of the border counties over the four-year 2001 to 2004.
The early hours of Saturday and Sunday accounted for most fatal single-vehicle collisions (42.8%)

In Ireland some 84% of the drivers involved in a fatal collision were male with more than half aged between 15 to 34 years.

The dominant gender in all single-vehicle collisions was male (77.3%)
The peak period for collisions are between the hours of 9pm and 4am - the hours which may be associated with drinking and driving.

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May 2007
Road crashes in the EU kill almost 47,000 EU citizens every year, 130 people per day!

202 people have lost their lives on Donegal roads from 1998-2006. Some 90pc of drivers who die in drink driving related crashes are male. Alcohol could be the main contributory factor in two thirds of single vehicle crashes.

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Learner Drivers - June 2007

A licence to kill?

At present in the republic of Ireland all provisional licence holders (except those on a 2nd provisional licence) should by law be accompanied by a qualified driver. All should display a learner L-Plate and are not permitted to drive on our motorways but the vast majority are ignoring this.

There are 429,000 motorists on provisional licences in the Republic of Ireland at present - many of these are on their 19th or 20th provisional licence.

In 2003 there were 88 people on their 6th to ninth licence but this figure has now risen to 15,239 last year! When those on their third, fourth and fifth provisional licence are added, the figures rise to 101,000. The numbers renewing their provisional licence six or more times has increased 173-fold in just three years.

All a provisional licence holder needs to renew their licence is simply to 'apply' to do a test. They can then cancel, or not even bother to turn up at all.

PARC members have spoken with Mr. Noel Brett CEO Road Safety Authority on these disturbing facts. He assures us that the RSA have completed a review and sent proposals to the Minister for Transport for a complete modernisation of the way drivers are trained, tested and licensed in Ireland in the future. The waiting time will be down to a 12-week wait by year-end and then 8 weeks by end of March 2008. Approved driving instructors will be in place by July 2007.
They now have 130 testers - up from 108 in previous years and the backlog will be dealt with he told us.
In reality - 429,000 people are on provisional licences (one fifth of all drivers). We need many more testers to tackle this ever-increasing problem otherwise it is simply going to escalate.

The truth of the matter is that the numbers applying for their test have significantly outstripped those sitting them dismally for four years in a row!

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Drug driving in the Republic of Ireland

Driving under the influence of drugs has been a statutory offense in Ireland under the 1961 Road Traffic Act. The medical Bureau of Road Safety(MBRS) is the independent forensic body responsible for chemical testing of intoxicants under the Road Traffic Acts. There are graded penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, depending on concentrations. The law does not set prohibited concentrations for other drugs nor does it distinguish between legal and illegal drugs.
At present there is no reliable breath test for drugs. To test for drugs a blood or urine sample has to be taken from every driver suspected of being intoxicated. Ideally, in the event of a nil or low alcohol reading being obtained, a separate blood or urine specimen should be sought for analysis, but this is currently non-routine.The Medical Bureau of Road Safety(MBRS) at present only test for drugs when Gardai make a specific request or when a person suspected of being intoxicated shows no evidence of being over the alcohol limit.

The MBRS test for seven different drugs or drug classes. These include cannabis, amphetamine, meta-amphetamines also known as speed or ecstasy, benzodiazepines, cocaine, opiates and methadone.
Research carried out suggests that one in three drivers who test negative for alcohol subsequently test positive for drugs. And when they also tested a group of 1,000 drivers over the alcohol limit for drugs, they found that 14 per cent had drugs in their system.

In 2005, more than 14,100 samples from drivers suspected of being over the alcohol limit were tested by the MBRS.
9,835 were breath samples from drivers suspected of drink driving given in the 64 Garda stations across the State equipped with an intoxilyser machine.
4,138 were blood and urine samples taken from motorists.
According to the Garda Annual Report, in 2005, some 11,646 people were arrested for drink driving and 4,100 were convicted, a rise of 30 per cent compared with 2004.
Part of the reason why the number of arrests is lower than the number of samples tested is that many drivers would have more than one test.

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10th August 2007
RSA reports that Donegal has the highest number of road deaths per head of population between 2001 and 2005 inclusive. The county was also high up on the list for injuries. 113 people lost their lives on Donegal's roads between 2001 and 2005 inclusive. Through that period the county had the worst road record in the country behind the major population areas of Dublin and Cork.The county ranked 4th in the list of statistics for people injured in road collisions over the same period of time coming behind Dublin, Limerick and Galway. A total of 2,076 people were injured in road collisions in the county between 2001 and 2005. The figure for 2005 alone shows that between Letterkenny, Buncrana, Ballyshannon and Bundoran there were a total of 2 fatalities and 15 injuries due to road collisions, indicating that most accidents occurred outside urban areas.

RSA Strategy-The Irish Times-
25th July 2007
Legislation to allow for mandatory drink driving tests on drivers at crash sites is one of the key measures to be contained in the next road safety strategy. The RSA's proposals call for all drivers involved in a crash to be tested at the scene, rather than in the hospital. PARC have long sought for the discretion allowed to gardai in this area to be removed.
The RSA say that they are concerned at the sharp fall in drink driving convictions Convictions for prosecutions based on blood or urine samples fell from 73 per cent in 2001 to just 24 per cent in 2005 while the number of prosecutions remained broadly consistent. According to the draft report, this decline "Undermines the effectiveness of the deterrent effect of drink driving legislation" and says it will research the reasons behind the fall and recommend changes to reverse it. The new strategy encompasses more than 100 proposals which the RSA hopes will result in a rduction in the number of people killed on the roads to less than 250 by 2011.Many changes proposed by the RSA will require new road traffic legislation, including the introduction of a graduated driving licence and random drug testing.