Vol. 543 No. 2
517 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will review aspects of the Road Traffic Bill, 2001 in view of an argument put forward (details supplied) suggesting that certain intended safety provisions would have an opposite effect and would instead lead to greater fatalities and injuries to road users and pedestrians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26615/01]
The Government Strategy for Road Safety 1998-2002 has prioritised a systematic and co-ordinated set of measures for preventing and reducing road accidents. It establishes quantified targets for achieving its objectives, the principal of which is to reduce road deaths and serious injuries each by at least 20% by 2002 relative to 1997. In the context of the realisation of the primary targets of achieving a minimum 20% reduction in the number of road fatalities and a similar reduction, at least 20%, in the number of serious injuries from road accidents, the need to increase the wearing rate of seat belts has been identified as one of the four key priority areas in the strategy.
The third progress report on the strategy shows that real and worthwhile gains are being made in road safety within the framework of the Government strategy. The level of roads deaths reduced by 12.1% between 1997 and 2000 and serious injuries decreased in the 1997-2000 period by almost 25% relative to a reduction target of 20% by end 2002. There have been major improvements in road safety performance in Ireland since the 1970s. In 1979, the year of introduction of legislation regarding the compulsory wearing of seat belts in Ireland, the number of road deaths was 614. This compares to 415 in 2000, a reduction of 32%.
While wearing of seat belts does not prevent accidents, it is highly effective in eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries in low speed crashes. The overall effectiveness of seat belts, when worn, varies with vehicle speed, seating position and factors relating to the occupant such as age, size and general fitness, but can be reasonably estimated to offer a reduction of not less than 40% in road fatalities and serious injuries assuming the wearing of seat belts by all car users. Current wearing rates in Ireland, at an estimated 55%, may save as many as 40 lives each year. The Government strategy sets a target of 85% wearing rates for front and rear seat belts which, when achieved, could result in saving an additional 30 lives each year.
Measures in support of this target include the extension of the on-the-spot fines for failure to wear a seat belt and the operation of a penalty point system. At the end of 2000, approximately 84,000 on the spot fines had been issued for non-wearing of seat belts since the introduction of this measure in July 1999. More than 48,000 on-the-spot fines for non-seat belt wearing were issued to end of September 2001.
The reduction in the number of road deaths in the past 30 years has not focused exclusively on car occupants. The number of pedestrians killed on the roads has been decreasing in recent years with figures for 2000 showing the lowest number of pedestrians killed in over 40 years. Pedestrian fatalities in 2000 comprised 20% of all fatalities compared with 41% in 1970. The number of pedal cyclists killed in 2000 was also the lowest number of fatalities reported in over 40 years, comprising just 2.4% of all fatalities compared to 8% a decade ago.
