We are happy to be here to assist the committee in its consideration of the proposed directive and answer any questions members may have. We have provided a briefing note on the draft directive which sets out a summary of the current state of the directive and some background information on road safety in the European Union. We have also gone through the provisions of the directive in some detail and the implications for Ireland. We also outline the difficulties the draft directive has encountered. I can go through the briefing note very quickly.
The proposed directive was an initiative of the French Presidency in the transport sector. However, at the end of that period there was no agreement on it among member states, the majority of which, including Ireland, were of the view that because the proposals related to enforcement across borders, they were a justice and police rather than a transport matter. The proposed directive has not been included in the work programme of the Czech Presidency.
Road safety is a very important issue for member states. It is an overall EU objective to halve the number of fatalities on EU roads by 2010. Enforcement of the law is a very effective instrument in improving road safety and reducing the number of injuries and fatalities. While each individual member state has competence and jurisdiction within its own boundaries, enforcement across borders requires action at a bilateral or multilateral level. This is a complex and difficult issue, primarily because of differing legal systems across member states.
The European Union had an initiative in place in this regard, the 1998 convention on driving disqualifications. This set a framework for bilateral agreements between member states to allow a driving disqualification earned in one member state to be notified and applied to the driver's record in his or her own member state. Ireland is working with the United Kingdom to finalise such an agreement between our two countries this year. The convention relates particularly to disqualifications arising from reckless or dangerous driving, a hit and run, driving under the influence of intoxicants, speeding and driving while disqualified. The proposed directive at which we are looking is a further initiative in the area of cross-border enforcement. It focuses on the exchange between member states of details of the owners of vehicles involved in particular offences in order that financial penalties for these offences, other than financial penalties imposed by a court, can be followed up by the authority of the member state in which the offence occurred.
According to EU statistics, road traffic accidents in member states of the European Union annually claim approximately 43,000 lives and leave more than 1.8 million people injured, with a total estimated cost of approximately €160 billion. That figure of 43,000 lives represents a reduction on the 54,000 recorded in 2001. For the first time in 2007 there was no percentage reduction in the number of road fatalities in the European Union as a whole, despite continuing improvements in a number of countries, including Ireland.
The European Transport Safety Council, a voluntary body, monitors road safety performance in member states and produces regular reports and updates. Ireland has done very well recently. It has moved into the top ten European countries for road safety performance in terms of the number of fatalities per 1 million, from 16th in 2005 to ninth. The three top performing countries in 2007 were Malta, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It is expected that when the 2008 figures are published, Ireland's standing will have improved further. Ireland's performance is also the second most improved in Europe in terms of a reduction in the number of road deaths between 2006 and 2007. Last year Dublin was highlighted as the best performing EU capital in road safety during the same period. Recently Ireland was announced as being in joint fifth place with Belgium in reducing the number of child fatalities among those aged zero to 14 years, with an average reduction of just under 10% per annum in the past ten years.
Road safety has a high priority here which is reflected in the adoption by the Government of the Road Safety Strategy 2007-12. This is the most ambitious and comprehensive strategy to date which aims to put Ireland on a par with countries with a long-standing record of excellence in road safety such as the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. The overall objective is to save lives and prevent serious injuries by reducing the number and severity of collisions on the road. The strategy will bring Ireland into line with best practice countries on road safety. It will reduce the number of fatalities to not greater than 60 per 1 million, the equivalent of 252 fatalities per annum or 21 per month, with a demonstrable reduction each year of the strategy. The comparable fatality figure for 2006 was 365. The strategy identifies 126 specific and measurable actions under the headings of education, engineering, enforcement and evaluation for implementation by a number of agencies, including the Road Safety Authority, a number of Departments, including the Department of Transport and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority and local authorities, among others.
The overall trend in road fatalities in the past decade has been downwards, from 472 in 1997, with particular declines recorded in the last few years. The number in 2008 — 279 — was the lowest since the earliest recorded in 1959. The positive trend continues, with the number this year at 29, down 19 on the same date last year.
Injuries and fatalities must be considered in conjunction with the overall population and the number of vehicles on the road, both of which have been increasing in recent years, with 1 million additional vehicles in ten years. Injuries and fatalities relative to population and vehicle numbers have been declining noticeably in recent years. In the past decade the death rate as measured against the number of vehicles has more than halved; this is as a result of a combination of the road safety programme, in relation to vehicles and drivers, and the road investment programme.