asked the Minister for Justice if he will state the total number of road accidents which (a) involved personal injuries, (b) were fatal, and (c) were due to drunken driving and drug taking, during 1956, 1957 and 1958.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road Accidents.
5.
Fatal road accidents in the years 1956, 1957 and 1958 numbered 298, 262 and 262 respectively. Corresponding figures for road accidents involving personal injury only were 3,929, 3,283 and 3,343.
The causes of accidents are complex and the primary factor contributing to an accident is often a matter of opinion even in those cases where it is clear that the fault lay chiefly with one party rather than the other. With this very important reservation, I may say that in 1956 the Gardaí estimated that 127 road accidents involving death or personal injury were primarily attributable to the influence of drink or drugs. No such analysis was made in 1957. The corresponding figure in 1958 was 90. I think it is only right to add that the Garda authorities themselves treat with considerable reserve the estimates made of the causes of road accidents.
Can the Minister say what percentage of the total accidents were caused by drunken driving?
Roughly, about 2 per cent.
That is a fairly small percentage in comparison with the figure given here last week by a Deputy who stated that it is 50 per cent.