INSIDE - RSA.ie

1 Dar s Um Sh bh ilteacht Ar Bh ithreRoad Safety Authority2007 2012 Road Safety Strategy822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 1822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 2 ContentsPageMinister s Introduction2 Chairperson s Introduction3 Section 1: Introduction5 Section 2: Role of the Road Safety Authority15 Section 3: Critical Success Factors19 Section 4: The Third Road Safety Strategy 2007-201223 Section 5: Targets35 Section 6: Action Plan51 Appendix I: Cost of Collisions72 Appendix II: The High Risks Who, Why, When and Where?

2 74 Appendix III: Graduated Driving Licence System88 Appendix IV: Workshop Attendees90 Appendix V: RSA Board Members and Executive Team92 Appendix VI: Advisory Panel to RSA93 Appendix VII: Bibliography and Reference Material94 Appendix VIII: Acronyms961 Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 1 Introduction from MinisterRoad Safety is everyone s responsibility. We all need to take responsibility - and takepride - in how we behave on the road as pedestrians, motor cyclists, cyclists, driversand of road safety, and of the contribution each individual can make to savinglives, is increasing all the time, and the best modern thinking is embodied in this newStrategy.

3 The Government is committed to ensuring the Strategy works, by providingthe leadership, action and resources to make it Minister, I will do all in my power to ensure that this Road Safety Strategy isdelivered in full and that Ireland becomes one of the leading nations in protecting itscitizens on the road. I also expect full and timely delivery from each of the agenciesresponsible for action and I have every confidence that each agency will take itsleadership role politicians and legislators, it is our job to create the context and awareness to allowIreland to become one of the safest countries in the world.

4 When every citizen takesresponsibility, that objective will become more than an we will have a real sense of pride in how we use our Dempsey for TransportOctober, 20072 Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012 Noel Dempsey,Minister for Transport822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 2 Introduction from Chairman, RSARoad Safety is one area that makes nonsense of Mark Twain s famous observation thatthere are Lies, damned lies and statistics .Statistics are the key measures of progress in road safety.

5 There is no arguing the factthat Ireland s roads have become safer in recent years. In fact, 2006 saw the secondlowest number of fatalities on Irish roads in forty one years, despite the increase inpopulation and number of registered vehicles. However, this is no consolation to thefamilies, communities and workplaces which have been shattered following a death orserious injury on our roads. That is why this strategy sets tough targets for thereduction of death and serious injury and demands trojan effort and delivery from eachand every one of the agencies responsible for actions in the progress and experience from other countries worldwide prove beyond doubtthat Ireland has the capacity to make significant progress and to become one of the best practice strategy demands tough measures and robust action for Government and itsagencies.

6 It also needs to capture the hearts and minds of the Irish public. We must alltake personal responsibility for the way in which we behave; this strategy seeks toengender a sense of public and personal pride about our behaviours on the road andour performance as a RSA advises the Minister, who then develops policy for road safety. The RSA willreport on implementation of this policy and on progress against the targets set out. Inaddition the strategy document is a handbook for those with responsibility for makingroad safety behalf of the RSA Board I commend this strategy to you and assure you that we willdo all that is humanly possible to ensure it is delivered in full so that you and thoseclose to you do not become a tragic publication is a major step towards savinglives.

7 Its proposals are backed by bestnational and international I hope the comprehensiveness of this strategy does not detract from one centraltruth Road safety comes down to individual can make a will make a you?Gay ByrneChairmanOctober, 20073 Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012Mr. Gay Byrne,Chairperson822_RSA_Strategy_2012:I NSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 34 Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 4 Section 1 Introduction5 Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11.

8 20 Page 5 Section 1 IntroductionIreland s third Road Safety Strategy seeks to build on the progress and understanding provided by the first twostrategies (1998-2002 and 2004-2006), with the objective of radically - and sustainably - improving safety on Irishroads. It draws on the insight and experience of countries implementing best practice in road safety, amongthem The Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway and France. New Zealand, the states of Victoria andQueensland in Australia, and a number of states in the USA also provided valuable Consultation ProcessA public consultation process was conducted to inform this Road Safety Strategy.

9 An invitation for submissionswas issued through national and local media in late 2006. Approximately 500 valuable submissions werereceived from members of the public, the media, corporate agencies and other sources. The consultationprocess showed overwhelming support for continued actions to reduce the number of deaths and seriousinjuries from road collisions. Consultation and communication will continue throughout the implementationand evaluation of this Road Safety Fatalities in IrelandDuring the 1970s, the worst period for road deaths in Ireland, road fatalities averaged 50 per month, althoughthe country had, at that time, only1/3of the current number of vehicles on the road (See figure 1).

10 Figure 16 Road Safety Strategy 2007-20120200400600800100012002006200219 981994199019861982197819741970 Fatalities per annum and Fatalities per million registered vehicles, 1970 - 2006 Fatalities per million Registered Motor VehiclesFatalitiesSource: NRA / RSA822_RSA_Strategy_2012: INSIDE 25/10/2007 11:20 Page 6 Fatality numbers fell as a result of increased enforcement, improvement in the safety engineering of vehiclesand roads, together with improvements in medical interventions. Road safety developed as a research topicwith increasing focus on the avoidable social and economic was the most recent peak year in road fatalities, averaging 39 deaths per month.