Government urged to act on road safety
Half the deaths on Ireland’s roads this year could have been prevented if the Government had implemented a promised road safety strategy, campaigners said today.
A winter road safety campaign was launched today by the National Safety Council and An Garda Siochana to try and tackle the rising death toll, which has reached 317.
The ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign is aimed at vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists who make up a third of this year’s fatalities.
John O’Neill, vice president of the Irish Insurance Federation, which is sponsoring the campaign, and chief executive of AXA Ireland said the holiday season should be a time of celebration for families.
“Unfortunately it can be a lonely time, a tragic time,” he said.
“For almost 400 extended families in Ireland this will be the case – 400 people will not be sitting down for Christmas dinner this year and perhaps the real tragedy is that we could have prevented half of these empty chairs if the political will and interest was there to change the status quo.
“We must have the support of the Government to do what they said they would do and implement the Road Safety Strategy,” he said.
In the campaign, pedestrians are being urged to wear bright clothing with reflective armbands, walk on the footpath or facing oncoming traffic if there is no footpath, and carry a torch on country roads.
Motorists can make the roads safer by driving slowly, and watching out for cyclists and pedestrians, particularly people wearing dark clothing, organisers of the campaign said.
National Safety Campaign chairman Eddie Shaw said that of the 317 deaths on Ireland’s roads so far in 2005, 13% were pedestrians, 3% were cyclists and 16% were motorcyclists.
“The objective of this safety drive is to reduce the number of pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist fatalities on Irish roads this winter, but also in the run up to, and during, the high risk October Bank Holiday weekend.
“Bad weather and reduced hours of daylight make for poor conditions.
“So if you are walking or cycling you need to be seen to be safe and if you are driving be prepared and expect the unexpected to happen,” Mr Shaw said.
The Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy also urged the public to take extra precautions to ensure their safety during winter.
“This winter the watchword is safety – we need to think safety, drive safely, walk safely and arrive safely at our destinations,” he said.
The campaign is focusing particularly on older people, who make up one third of pedestrian fatalities.
Drunk pedestrians are also being targeted, after recent research by Dr Declan Bedford, specialist in Public Health Medicine with the Health Service Executive, found six out of 10 adult pedestrians killed in road crashes in the study area had an average blood alcohol level more than twice the legal drink drive limit.
The National Safety Council today unveiled an advertising campaign sponsored by the Irish Insurance Federation, consisting of posters and press and radio adverts to convey the ‘Arrive Alive’ message to the public.
