ONE THIRD OF ROAD DEATHS DUE TO DRINK

THE horror wreaked by drink driving is outlined in a damning report
today which claims at least 150 people died on our roads last year
because of alcohol.

The Bacon Report on Road Safety, commissioned by the National Safety
Council, estimates that drink is the primary cause of 33% of fatal
road accidents.

But the true figure could be much higher, as the report admits that
this is a conservative estimate.

“Assessments from some garda divisions suggest much higher figures,”
said the report’s author, economist Peter Bacon.

Figures compiled by the National Roads Authority show the number of
those killed or injured on Irish roads has increased from 8,871 in
1987 to just over 13,500 in 1997. Alcohol is believed to have been a
contributory factor in at least 25% of total accidents.

A plan to reduce the number of fatalities by up to 25% would cost the
Government pounds 120 million to implement, according to Mr Bacon’s
report.

However, the implementation of the National Safety Council’s Road
Safety Strategy, which also aims to cut speeding by half and
substantially increase the wearing of seat belts, will have huge
economic benefits as well as cutting down on human misery.

Car users still make up the largest percentage of road casualties,
totalling 8,565 in 1997 alone. While speed plays a significant role in
the overall level of accidents and deaths on Irish roads, the report
found the influence of alcohol and non use of safety belts are
significant contributory factors.

In addition to saving lives, it is estimated the Road to Safety
programme will save pounds 536 million over the period 1998 2002.
These calculations are based on the cost of reducing overall road
fatalities and injuries. Despite a total of 461 deaths on the roads in
1998, the National Roads Authority were allocated just pounds 5
million for spending on safety. That figure has risen to pounds 9
million this year, with the current death toll standing at 329. In his
report, Mr Bacon recommends priority be given to the deployment of
resources to implement the government plan. “The cost of fatalities
and road injuries is estimated at pounds 800 million annually. Based
on government figures, this report shows that the cost of implementing
the Road to Safety strategy will yield benefits of pounds 182 million
per year. “It recommends the Government accelerate the implementation
of the plan as well as providing additional resources to redefine
current data on accidents and fatalities,” he said. Mr Bacon was
critical of current statistics which, he claimed, are inaccurate and
misleading.

“One of the things this report highlighted is how poor our data on
road deaths and accidents actually is.” The number of claims made to
insurance companies following road accidents increased by over 40% in
the past eight years. The number of claims in 1989 was 116,831, rising
to just under 200,000 in 1997. While the majority of claims are for
less than pounds 10,000, the estimated cost of accidents and
fatalities is currently pounds 800m a year.