Launch of October/November Casualty Reduction Campaign 30th September, 2013

The implementation of the Casualty Reduction campaign over the past four years has yielded a significant reduction in serious injuries and fatalities. However, unfortunately, 2013 has seen an overall increase in road fatalities in the Dublin region, 14 to date which is an increase of 6 on this time last year. The Casualty Reduction Implementation campaign for October and November is aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries.

The campaign will be implemented on a 24/7 basis. The plan is receiving Multi-Agency support from Transport Authorities, Local Authorities and Transport Stakeholders. Each organisation is contributing in an effort to make our roads safer for all road users.

An Garda Síochána have identified the top ten locations for speeding in the Dublin areas, (see appendix A),  i.e. the Swords Road, Whitehall where drivers have been identified travelling on average 28.4 km/h in excess of the posted limit. These locations in particular will receive targeted enforcement.

The Railway Procurement Agency in conjunction with Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána will shortly introduce automated red light running detection on Queen Street and Blackhall Place. These are key junctions and many thousands of commuters are inconvenienced every time the Luas trams are involved in an incident. There is also a very serious risk to life when these incidents occur. This can all be avoided if motorists/ pedestrians obey the traffic light signals. In the interim Gardai will operate in plain clothes and in uniform, monitoring compliance with the taffic light. 

Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said today:-

"Our Casualty Reduction campaign is in effect a collision reduction strategy and our aim is to prevent collisions from happening in the first place. This makes the roads safer for us all. All the local authorities, Public Transport providers, National Roads Authority, Road Safety Authority are playing their part in this campaign. The publicising of the top 10 speeding locations, full use of both marked and unmarked Robot safety camera vans and LUAS red light running operations will assist us in our goal. The public also have a big part to play and together we can save lives and reduce the number of casualties”

Chief Superintendent Reid continued "People make mistakes and these mistakes cause collisions and cost lives. If we work harder and pay more attention to safety on the road, we can turn that into saving lives. This campaign is summed up in the poster - Dublin has the safest Roads of all EU Capital Cities. Let’s ALL work to keep it that way”

Welcoming the campaign Mr Noel Brett said "In Ireland excessive speed is directly responsible for one in three fatal collisions, over one half of all single vehicle collisions and is the primary contributor to vulnerable road user fatalities. Speed determines the outcome in 100% of crashes, whatever their cause. This is a law of physics. Higher speeds result in more severe injury. This is particularly true for occupants of light vehicles, when colliding with more heavy vehicles and for unprotected road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists when colliding with vehicles. Pedestrians have a 90% chance of surviving a car crash at 30 km/h or below but less than a 50% chance of surviving impacts of 50 km/h or above. My message is to slow down, don’t risk getting a fine, penalty points or worse and remember for the minuscule time savings it’s really not worth it.”

Notes to Editor

Appendix A

The top ten speeding locations in the Dublin Region, based on speeding enforcement,  and the average speed (km/h) over the limit applying to that location.

Fingal County Council – Celbridge Road (21.6) and Cappagh Road Finglas (23.5)

South Dublin County Council – Naas Road (multiple locations ranging from 23.6 - 32.5), Ballycullen Road (27.8) and Dodder Park Road (26.7)

Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council – Drummartin Link Road (26.8) and Temple Hill Blackrock (26.1)

Dublin City Council – Dublin Port Tunnel (24.6), Swords Road, Whitehall (28.4) and Wolfe Tone Quay (21.4)

Key elements of the plan are outlined below:-

• A number of Districts, identified in the Plan, where increases in Fatal and Serious Injury Collisions have spiked, will receive particular attention.

• Full use will be made of ANPR vehicles during this operation. An Garda Síochána Analysis Service has identified a direct correlation between incidents of fatal/serious injury collisions where a disproportionate amount of drivers involved have a criminal record.

• Outlying Divisions, DMR West, North, South and East supported by DMR Traffic Division will provide high visibility and enforcement activity during peak hours 7am to 9.30am in the morning, Monday to Friday, as motorists enter inbound 50kph zones from High Volume Arterial Routes. Evening patrols will reverse this procedure, from 4pm to 7.30pm, concentrating from the inner Divisional limits on –outbound routes.

• Inner City Divisions, DMR North Central, South Central and supported by DMR Traffic Division will provide high visibility and enforcement activity during peak hours in the evening, Monday to Friday, as motorists pass from 30kph and 50kph zones outbound towards High Volume Arterial Routes.

• Special Road Safety Operations will be targeted at key offences which contribute to fatal and serious injury collisions;
 These will consist of high visibility MAT checkpoints with a view to maximising the number of drivers breath tested and providing a strong deterrent during the October Bank Holiday Weekend
 The Road Safety Unit will co-ordinate a series of interactive awareness locations to educate vulnerable road users. 

• Mountain Bike patrols and Segways will be utilised to target Road Traffic infringement by pedal cyclists (red light running etc).

• 3G ANPR/PUMA equipped marked and unmarked vehicles will be utilised to their full extent throughout the course of Casualty Reduction Implementation Plan and in tandem with operations.

• The 50 kph speed limits is strictly enforced on inbound routes in the morning and outbound in the evenings paying particular attention to Public Service Vehicle’s and motorcycles using bus lanes.