Monthly road deaths at all time low

mike65 · 01-10-2009 5:15pm #1

Deaths in September totalled just 13.

A total of 13 people lost their lives on Irish roads last month, the lowest number of deaths since records began in 1969.

According to provisional figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA), 176 people have died as a result of traffic incidents so far this year, a decline of 42 deaths from the same period a year earlier.

Previously, the lowest number of roads deaths per month occurred in February 2009 when 15 people died.

The latest monthly total is in stark contrast to November 1981 when a total of 80 people lost their lives on Irish roads.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey welcomed the latest figures, saying that the introduction of tougher penalties had contributed to Ireland becoming the sixth safest country in Europe.

"The introduction of the penalty points system, mandatory alcohol testing, the Garda Traffic Corps and the reform of the driver licensing system are just some critical elements of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy that have had a dramatic and positive effect on road safety. The decision to introduce these changes saved lives," said Mr Dempsey.

"Lives have been saved and devastating injuries prevented. With continued commitment and leadership there is absolutely no reason why Ireland cannot be the very best in Europe. It can be done," he added

Road deaths 2001-2009. Sadly the old stats which went back to 1966 (and would curl your hair) are not on site anymore as far as I can tell.

L1011 · 01-10-2009 5:44pm

Less traffic; less single carriageway national route than any time in the states history...

Steviemak · 01-10-2009 6:20pm

Great to see those stats. Hopefully we can continue to improve them.

graduate · 01-10-2009 6:30pm

heading for 250 this year, only about 40% of the 1970s figure when traffic was a lot less

from http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/3517-0.pdf

serfboard · 01-10-2009 6:32pm

MYOB wrote: »

less single carriageway national route than any time in the states history...

... leading to less frustration at being stuck behind some slow-coach doing 40 MPH. Unsurprisingly, Dempsey never thought of this. It stood to reason that deaths would drop when roads improved.

smellslikeshoes · 01-10-2009 6:36pm

Not to mention pubs being empty because of the recession, so less drink drivers.

BrianD3 · 01-10-2009 8:07pm

I think seatbelt wearing has improved dramatically in the last few years. And not just because of enforcement/penalty points. Many people are wearing their seatbelts purely to shut up the "annoying" seatbelt buzzers that are fitted to most modern cars. This is a recent innovation, 10 years ago very few cars had these buzzers.

Also cars are far stronger and safer now. Contrast the two videos below
1) An old Ford Sierra (on sale up until 1993) crashed at 64 km/h into EuroNCAP barrier
2) A new Renault Laguna (introduced in 2007) crashed at 80 km/h into a EuroNCAP barrier

80 vs 64 km/h equates to an increase in kinetic energy of over 50%, yet the modern car is still far safer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-eFHwcjUr4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MsqJFoWSjI

Victor · 01-10-2009 9:02pm

There are other factors, (a) it was a generally dry, overcast month (b) recession means recreational drugs are relatively more expensive (c) people travelling less (d) less congestion and less people in a rush (e) expanded traffic corp is making drink drivers behave themselves.

mike65 · 01-10-2009 10:19pm

I'd like to see a breakdown for when the deaths occurred. Usually you can reckon on a third being between 11 pm and 6 am from Friday night to Monday morning.

triple-M · 01-10-2009 10:52pm

finally some good news except for the fact that 13 too many people still lost their lives on the road this month

Victor · 01-10-2009 11:24pm

mike65 wrote: »

I'd like to see a breakdown for when the deaths occurred. Usually you can reckon on a third being between 11 pm and 6 am from Friday night to Monday morning.

Isn't that about a third of the week also?

mike65 · 01-10-2009 11:26pm

I mean 11pm-6am on three nights - 21 hours of the week.

Idbatterim · 02-10-2009 12:06pm

i was watching top gear recently and they showed the difference between several year old cars and new cars in crashes, the differences were unbelievable! youd wonder how much further they can improve...

sliabh · 02-10-2009 12:21pm

graduate wrote: »

heading for 250 this year, only about 40% of the 1970s figure when traffic was a lot less

from http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/3517-0.pdf

I have often wondered why they still use the headline figure of deaths rather than a more accurate one of fatalities per (million) km travelled as you see in other countries. On its own it is a very simplistic number.

ardmacha · 02-10-2009 3:14pm

I have often wondered why they still use the headline figure of deaths rather than a more accurate one of fatalities per (million) km travelled as you see in other countries. On its own it is a very simplistic number.

it is simplistic, but for propaganda purposes it is better to have people thinking of 250 names, of 250 families etc rather than a rather clinical ratio.

sliabh · 02-10-2009 3:40pm

ardmacha wrote: »

it is simplistic, but for propaganda purposes it is better to have people thinking of 250 names, of 250 families etc rather than a rather clinical ratio.

I can be countreproductive as well. During the boom the numbers were relatively static (400-450) but rate of car ownership and number of car journies was shooting up. I always was exasperated to hear people complaining even though the death rate was falling.

But that is probably just the Engineer in me

jenzz · 02-10-2009 3:54pm

I saw close to carnage at the southern cross roundabout in Bray earlier whilst out walking. An 09 Avensis ( Beautiful car) came the wrong way onto the roundabout swung over the island naturally to avoid the car coming towards him , turned back around the island towards Bray on the wrong side of the road & straight head first into the path of another car coming off the round about. Then reversed & headed to Greystones on the correct side of the road to the sound of screeching brakes & horns tooting all over the place. Initially I said stolen car but as Dad pointed out - going a tad bit too slow to be stolen ( he in hysterics). So as it went by I spotted the little yellow "i" on the back windscreen - a hire car. Foreign National occupants.

Now im not tarring any group with the same brush. But can these statistics be linked possibly to the mass movement of foreign nationals back home out of the country? Does anyone know the statistics for the amount of road deaths in Ireland caused by non-national drivers over the past number of years? Unfortunately we have all heard the headlines in the past - 4 foreign nationals killed in head on collision etc etc.

Also I like many others I know have removed my fab car off the road as I can no longer pay the cost of tax & insurance ( I certainly wouldnt be expecting the tax payer to be funding that in my weekly benefits.) I know so many who have done the same. Could this also be another explanation for a reduction in deaths? Although technically our cars are counted as they are registered but there may be huge volume of cars off the road thanks to this growth in unemployment.
Either way its great to see such reductions in losses of lives so long may it continue.

dereko1969 · 02-10-2009 4:58pm

Foreign Nationals were represented in the accident statistics in proportion to their presence in the country, roughly 10% so there's no evidence that they were outperforming the locals in that regard.

godtabh · 02-10-2009 5:03pm

Victor wrote: »

There are other factors, (a) it was a generally dry, overcast month (b) recession means recreational drugs are relatively more expensive (c) people travelling less (d) less congestion and less people in a rush (e) expanded traffic corp is making drink drivers behave themselves.

But its still a positive stat

ardmacha · 02-10-2009 7:11pm

Foreign Nationals were represented in the accident statistics in proportion to their presence in the country, roughly 10% so there's no evidence that they were outperforming the locals in that regard.

At one time 2006-2007 foreigners were making up 20% of the fatalities and were overrepresented. This is hardly surprising, these were mostly young single people, mostly men, from countries with much high accident rates and high rates of drink driving who were driving on the wrong side of the road from their experience in sometimes aged cars. Road safety has largely been on a downward trend, the upward blip in the boom years was affected by immigrants.

Victor · 02-10-2009 7:43pm

Total and per capita figures are the only meaningful figures.

If Ireland had a large population of serial killers, would it make 200+ homocides a year acceptable? After all, the rate per serial killer would be down.

jenzz wrote: »

Now im not tarring any group with the same brush. But can these statistics be linked possibly to the mass movement of foreign nationals back home out of the country? Does anyone know the statistics for the amount of road deaths in Ireland caused by non-national drivers over the past number of years? Unfortunately we have all heard the headlines in the past - 4 foreign nationals killed in head on collision etc etc.

There are a lot of other factors to take into account, but importantly deaths havce been falling since 2005 - when immigration was at its strongest. So, I think you are wrong, but come back to me with your master's thesis on the matter and I might believe you.

To reverse my points above - pre-recession means (a) recreational drugs are relatively cheaper (c) people travelling more (d) more congestion and more people in a rush (e) expanded traffic corp not yet in place and drink drivers not behaving themselves.

Danno · 02-10-2009 11:20pm

And still the insurance boys will put up the prices :rolleyes:

mike65 · 02-10-2009 11:33pm

I think repair costs and state of insurance company balance sheets is mainly to blame these days.

manutd · 03-10-2009 3:25pm

Great to road deaths at an all-time low. Would like to know the break down and also times off deaths.

Victor · 04-10-2009 5:14pm

The cost of vehicle repairs is negligible compared to the overall total. Serious injuries and deaths are the real costs. Imagine a 25 year old construction worker losing his legs in an accident - the settlement might be in the millions.

This indicates the numbers that die in any particular time / area. Note that it doesn't break it down by hour and day, merely one or the other. http://www.rsa.ie/publication/publication/upload/Collision%20Fact%20Book%202007.pdf

http://www.rsa.ie/NEWS/News/September_2009_Safest_Month_on_Record.html

September 2009 Safest Month on Record
Road users praised for extraordinary achievement

While 13 people tragically lost their lives on the roads in September 2009 it was the safest month on Irish roads since records began, that’s according to provisional figures released today Thursday 1st October by the Road Safety Authority.

The figure is also in stark contrast to the worst month for road deaths ever recorded which was in November 1981 when a total of 80 people lost their lives on the roads. Such a loss of life is impossible to comprehend as it would have represented almost three roads deaths every day.

A total of 177 people have died in road collisions to date in 2009 this represents a decrease of 41 deaths on the previous year. Record reductions in deaths in the months of February (15 deaths) and September (13) have contributed significantly to the lower number of fatalities on our road this year.

Commenting on the provisional figures Mr. Gay Byrne, Chairman, Road Safety Authority said “ While one death is one to many, what has been achieved this month, and to date this year is truly amazing. More importantly it’s a tribute to the ordinary people of this country who have changed their behaviour. You are saving lives and deserve thanks.”

He added that “What is more remarkable about this achievement is that in the 1970’s we killed an average of 50 people a month; in the 1990’s 40 and at the start of this decade it was 30 road deaths a month.”

Minister for Transport, Mr. Noel Dempsey added that “The work of the agencies and stakeholders involved in the Road Safety Strategy, combined with the individual efforts of the public, has contributed to the safest September ever and what could also turn out to be the safest year on our roads. The current Government Road Safety Strategy, implementation of some tough decisions and the cooperation of road users across the country have made Ireland the sixth safest country in Europe. Lives have been saved and devastating injuries prevented. With continued commitment and leadership there is absolutely no reason why Ireland cannot be the very best in Europe. It can be done. The Irish public deserve that.

“This is not just theory – we have collectively shown what can be achieved in an integrated, interdependent strategy. The introduction of the Penalty Points system, Mandatory Alcohol Testing, the Garda Traffic Corps and the reform of the driver licensing system are just some critical elements of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy that have had a dramatic and positive effect on road safety. The decision to introduce these changes saved lives.

However, the improvements we have made will not be sustained if we don’t continue to implement the other vital measures contained in the Strategy.”

The Minister concluded by saying that “The greatest threat we now face on the roads is complacency. If we start thinking that we can sit back and relax or that the job is done we will slide back to those dark days when a life was lost every single day on the roads. More lives will have been lost because we failed to act.

ENDS

KevR · 05-10-2009 1:13pm

Interesting that we had the lowest ever monthly number of road deaths immediately after the speed limit increased on many kms of HQDC/motorway.

Victor · 05-10-2009 6:52pm

Coincidence most likely. How do you explain the deaths over the last few days?

Surely you could ascribe it to being the driest september in Clarmorris for 20 years?

I.S.T. · 06-10-2009 11:18am

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey welcomed the latest figures, saying that the introduction of tougher penalties had contributed to Ireland becoming the sixth safest country in Europe.

"The introduction of the penalty points system, mandatory alcohol testing, the Garda Traffic Corps and the reform of the driver licensing system are just some critical elements of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy that have had a dramatic and positive effect on road safety. The decision to introduce these changes saved lives," said Mr Dempsey.

Nice back slapping there. No doubt these measures had an impact but no mention of the much improved roads network with the new motorways.

westtip · 06-10-2009 1:54pm

I woudl be interested in a micro analysis of road accident figures on stretches of road before and after the introduction of newly upgraded roads, not just the tragic fatality figures but total number of reported accidents (ergo one would think fatalities would come down in proportion)

eg Accident figures on the N6 between Kilbeggan and Kinegad in the five years previous to the new motorway opening and what the figures are now for the first year of the motorway being opened.

Or on the N4 between Roosky and Dromod before the 2+2 dc was opened.

Traffic flows woudl be about the same in the past three years - how has the accident rate changed on these stretches of road.

Sure there are other roads people can specifically think of - some stretches of the N11 for example.

This way you would be comparing the old with new and could see the difference - would also be a good counter argument against the F****ing Greens putting all the new road schemes on a back burner.

Improve roads, Save lives, Improve the economy improve bus public transport - no brainer really.

munchkin_utd · 06-10-2009 2:38pm

heres the EuroRAP 2008 report which deals with risk rating of irish roads and analyses the improvements to roads and the subsequent reduction in accidents and deaths.
http://www.eurorap.org/library/pdfs/20080519_IRLAND_RESULTS.pdf

Its an interesting topic to me as I was involved in a head on collison on an exceptionally dodgy series of bends on the N54/ A3 between Cavan and Clones.
I was lucky as many others were killed on the same bends.
Now this piece of road has been upgraded, the bends are smoothened out and its no longer a place where you are guaranteed an accident every month or so.

So its not only dual carraigeways that are contributing to the better road safety statistics.

Victor · 06-10-2009 3:52pm

westtip wrote: »

I woudl be interested in a micro analysis of road accident figures on stretches of road before and after the introduction of newly upgraded roads, not just the tragic fatality figures but total number of reported accidents (ergo one would think fatalities would come down in proportion)

It can be difficult to do analyses as finely as you suggest. However, the NRA claim deaths on the N/M1 dropped by about 60-70% as the motorway was built. I am suspicious of that as I think they only took the M1 into account for hte after figure, when it should also include the R132 figure for local journey accidents.

Monthly road deaths at all time low

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