Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Oct 2000

Vol. 523 No. 4

Written Answers. - Accident Statistics.

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

199 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a full Garda report is made on every driving incident involving serious injury or fatalities; and the numbers of those which were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of the years 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and to date in 2000. [21290/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

I have been informed by the Garda authorities that Garda regulations require that all fatal and serious injury accidents coming to the notice of the Garda must be fully investigated.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that where either death or serious injury has occurred the decision as to a prosecution will be taken in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. All driving cases involving death or serious injury must be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions unless there is no surviving driver.

The number of fatal accidents for the years 1996 to 2000 to date are set out in the following tabular statement:

Year	Number of fatal accidents
1996	415
1997	424
1998	408
1999	391
2000 to date	271

I have been assured by the Garda authorities that a file would have been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in each case where there would have been a surviving driver. The details sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of files referred to the director in serious injury cases is not readily available and could be compiled only by the diversion to the task of a disproportionate amount of Garda time and resources.