The Programme for Government states that a three-year Road Safety Strategy will be developed and will target speeding, drink-driving, seat-belt wearing and pedestrian safety in order to reduce deaths and injuries.

The High Level Group on Road Safety has prepared a new Strategy for the period 2004 2006. The Strategy takes account of a review of the Road to Safety, which was carried out by an international road safety expert, the progress made over the period of the last Strategy, further positive trends established in 2003 and the EU Road Safety Action Plan which has set a target of a 50% reduction in road deaths across the EU by 2010.

The new Road Safety Strategy for Ireland covers the period 2004 2006 and targets further reductions in road deaths and injuries. 

The primary target of the new Strategy is to realise a 25% reduction in road collision fatalities by the end of 2006 over the average annual number of fatalities in the 1998 2003 period.  Achievement of the target will result in no more than 300 deaths per annum by the end of the period of the Strategy and will assist in the achievement of the longer term EU target. 

In supporting the development of the new Strategy, a major independent review of the previous strategy was carried out by an international expert on road safety. His report, which has been used to inform the development of the new Road Safety Strategy, confirms that basing the primary targets on the achievement of progress in the areas of speeding, drink driving and seat-belt wearing, was the correct approach. 

For that reason, these remain the key areas of the new Strategy.  The Strategy proposes a range of measures in the enforcement, engineering, education and legislation areas in order to target further reductions in deaths and injuries.  An integrated strategic approach will ensure that the road safety agencies work together to achieve the targets set out in the Strategy.

The following outlines some of the main recommendations set out in the new Strategy:

• Random preliminary breath testing will be introduced.
• An Increase in disqualification periods will be implemented.
• A revised speed limit structure to be expressed in metric values will be implemented
• A network of speed cameras to be operated by a private company will be developed
• The full system of penalty points will be rolled out.
• Commitments are given by the Gardai to the carrying out of specific levels of enforcement across the three key areas of set belt wearing, speed limits and drink driving.

Copies of the Strategy (in Irish and English) are available free of charge from Road Safety and Traffic Division at 01 604 1069 or 01 604 1119 on request.