The programme for government states that a three year road safety strategy will be developed to target speeding, drink driving, seatbelt wearing and pedestrian safety in order to reduce deaths and injuries. Following preparation by the high level group on road safety, a new strategy for the period 2004-06 was published on 24 September 2004. Copies of the strategy are available in the Oireachtas Library.
In preparing the new strategy account was taken of the achievements in meeting the targets set out in the Road to Safety Strategy 1998-2002, a comprehensive review of that strategy and further positive trends established in 2003 and the evolving developments in the EU third road safety action plan.
The strategy, which includes a report on progress achieved during the term of the previous strategy, outlines a range of issues that it is intended will be pursued over the period in question. In overall terms, measures will focus on the areas of education, enforcement, engineering and legislation and will target the key areas of speeding, driving while intoxicated and seatbelt wearing. The comprehensive range of measures set out in the new road safety strategy will ensure that we can build on the success of recent years — a reduction from 472 road fatalities in 1997 to 336 in 2003, a fall of 28% — over a period when the number of vehicles, drivers and kilometres travelled on our roads have increased significantly.