Road deaths in 2012 lower than in 2011

Iwannahurl

Provisional Fatal Collision Statistics 2012


Total Killed to 31/12/11: 186

Total Killed to 31/12/12: 161


Total Collisions to 31/12/11: 172

Total Collisions to 31/12/12: 151



Summary for the year up to 9.00 am 31st December 2012

Pedestrians 28
Drivers 78
Passengers 27
Pedal Cyclists 8
Motorcyclists 16
Motorcyclist Pillion Passengers/others 4

Iwannahurl

Road deaths fall to a record low
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/road-deaths-fall-to-a-record-low-3339927.html

RSA figures show 161 people died on the roads in 2012
http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0101/road-safety-authority-deaths.html

2012 sets new record for fewest road deaths in Ireland
http://www.thejournal.ie/2012-new-record-road-deaths-736865-Jan2013/

Strategy to target road injuries as deaths down
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1231/1224328279890.html

Our roads are fourth safest in Europe, but we want the top spot
http://www.herald.ie/news/our-roads-are-fourth-safest-in-europe-but-we-want-the-top-spot-3339643.html

Iwannahurl

abitofacomedian wrote: »

Km travelled has dropped, but not significantly, and in fact has been rising again on some roads (according to NRA counters). According to the CSO Transport Yearbook, vehicle kilometres travelled in 2011 (41,681 million) were roughly equivalent to the figure for 2006 (41,357 million). Travel peaked in 2008 (44,357 million km)

The RSA and NRA can take some credit for the drop in road fatalities, the rate has been dropping all over Europe but Ireland has dropped by a greater percentage than average. Whether or not this is due from starting from a high base is an argument for another day. Nevertheless, it is a great accomplishment, not one to be belittled and one of the few targets that have actually been met in this country. Lets hope the trends continue.

CSO yearbook http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/transport/

I'm taking the liberty of 'moving' the above quote to this thread, since the older thread it was posted in is now clearly out of date.

In a recent radio interview Noel Brett mentioned that deaths per million km driven is the standard metric, and afaicr Ireland's road death rate under that rubric has continued to drop.

There has been a 13% drop in the number of fatalities, and a 12% reduction in the number of "collisions".

Could the number of kilometres travelled really have dropped so much since 2011 so as to bring about a decrease in road deaths of that magnitude?

flutered

on any road that i travel on, there is none of the fast and reckless driving any more, the price of fuel perhaps, safer vehicles maybe, or could it be as some suggest emigration.

serfboard

flutered wrote: »

on any road that i travel on, there is none of the fast and reckless driving any more, the price of fuel perhaps, safer vehicles maybe, or could it be as some suggest emigration.

My first thoughts too were on emigration taking away

- mainly young men who are disproportionately involved in road deaths.
- eastern europeans who may have been unused to driving on the opposite side of the road, and who had a different attitude to drinking and driving (just look at the road death statistics in some eastern european countries)

However, this is offset by the stat above that the number of kilometres travelled is the same as it was in 2006 ... are older, irish, people driving more?

antoobrien

serfboard wrote: »

However, this is offset by the stat above that the number of kilometres travelled is the same as it was in 2006 ... are older, irish, people driving more?

Change of work circumstances could play a major role in this. There are lots of people who would have had a home in the regions with a job in the area who lost and had to move to one of the bigger cities for work.

I met a fair few people that work 4 days in Dublin the go home to Galway, Cork, Waterford etc to spend the weekend with their families. A round trip from Galway to Dublin is 400km, which is easily 3-4 times as much as somebody living in Oranmore, working in Knocknacara would do in a week.

Then you have people that have lost/changed jobs and can't afford to move so they take on long range commutes (e.g. Claremorris - Galway).