01 July 2011
9% Reduction in Road Deaths to date in 2011
16-25 Year Old Road Deaths Still Cause for Concern
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána are calling on road-users to continue their life-saving behaviour to ensure that fewer lives are lost on the roads in the second half of 2011. This call comes today Friday 1st July 2011, as provisional figures reveal that 90 people have lost their lives on Irish roads in the first six months of this year. This represents a reduction of 9% in road deaths compared to the same period last year when 99 people died in the first six months of 2010.
Despite this reduction, the number of young people dying on the roads is still a cause for significant concern. One third (30) of road-users killed to date were 16-25 years old and of these, 3 out of 5 were drivers (18). The RSA is urging road-users nationwide to redouble their efforts to prevent further suffering and tragedy as a result of deaths on our roads.
Speaking about the reduction in road deaths to date in 2011, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Leo Varadkar T.D. said: “The Government Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012 set a goal for no more than 21 lives lost on our roads per month by 2012. This target was achieved two years running, in 2009 and 2010, which had the lowest number of road deaths ever recorded. Now we are asking every road user to set their own personal target to keep up this life-saving behaviour and prevent needless deaths on our roads. It’s not impossible. If we continue the behaviour we have seen over the past six months, we could save as many as 30 lives this year.”
Chairman of the RSA, Mr Gay Byrne said: “The people of Ireland have shown what can be achieved when road safety is prioritised. But our work is far from over. 90 lives have been lost on our roads so far this year in unnecessary, preventable tragedies. Even more tragic is the number of young people still being killed on our roads.”
“Today we look to the next six months with the hope that we will save more lives and prevent further grief and suffering for families and communities across the country. But none of this is possible without the commitment and efforts of all of us who use the roads. You have already shown what you can do when you make road safety a priority for your family, friends and community so let’s all set our own personal targets to do everything we can to be a better, safer road-user.”
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said: "The ongoing decrease in deaths on our roads is welcome. Gardaí are working closely with our partner agencies to further reduce deaths and serious injury and we will continue to target our enforcement activity at areas where fatalities are more likely to occur.
However, it is the decisions of road users to change their behaviour which has the greatest impact on road deaths. It is when the community itself heeds safety messages and advice that our road network becomes safer for everyone and families are saved from the heartache and tragedy that follows fatal collisions.
I urge everyone - drivers, cyclists, motor cyclists and pedestrians - to continue to make those decisions every day and help us to save lives: slow down, don't drink and drive, stop driving if you are tired, ensure everyone wears a seat belt and avoid using mobile phones while driving."
An Garda Síochána is also encouraging the public to tune into the new series of ‘Traffic Blues’, which is being broadcast on RTÉ 1 television on Sunday 3rd July at 8.30 pm.
According to the figures from the RSA and An Garda Síochána, road deaths have decreased among driver, passenger and pedestrian road users categories in the first six months of 2011 when compared with the same period in 2010. Driver deaths have decreased from 49 in 2010 to 45 in 2011, a drop of 8%, but continue to represent half of all road deaths to date in 2011. The number of pedestrian deaths has also fallen from 24 to 20, a 16% decrease. However the number of motorcyclists and cyclists killed on our roads has increased. Eight motorcyclists have died on our roads since the beginning of the year, one more than the same period last year and two pedal cyclists have died on our roads to date this year, compared to none in the same period last year.
The statistics also showed that:
- In 2011, April saw the lowest road deaths ever recorded in a single month with nine lives lost;
- Road deaths in May, typically a high risk month because of the bank holiday weekend, were 60% lower this year with 11 deaths compared to 28 in 2010;
- 2 in 5 of all road deaths took place between Friday midnight and Sunday midnight.
The Road Safety Authority is now live on Facebook and Twitter. Check out the RSA Facebook and Twitter pages or visit www.rsa.ie for more information on road safety.
For further information, please contact:
RSA Communications Office: 096 25008