Assistant Commissioner John Twomey pauses as he tries to explain an emerging contradiction in road safety. The head of the Garda traffic corps says detections of speeding, illegally using a mobile phone and not wearing a seat belt all fell last year, because of what he says is increased compliance by drivers. Yet last year, for the first time since 2005, deaths on Irish roads rose. And the increase, to 190, was significant: 28 more fatalities. "Not a statistical blip," he admits.
Gay Byrne, the chairman of the Road Safety Authority, has a different interpretation of what happened on the roads last year. He blames a reduction in enforcement for the falling detection rates, and last year warned that road deaths would rise as drivers' fear of being caught diminished.
Twomey accepts that a rise in deaths is not the expected outcome from increased compliance but says that despite reduced Garda resources, and a traffic corps operating at two-thirds strength, enforcement is not significantly down.
“We have had one year where there has been an increase [in deaths], and you can’t say it is directly linked to reduced enforcement. That ignores the gains over the last four or five years.”
He points to the record number of mandatory alcohol checkpoints last year: 78,290 compared with 56,575 in 2008; 441,380 drivers were breathalysed at these, and 7,962 were arrested. In 2008 563,115 drivers were tested and 18,013 were arrested.
Change in behaviour
That fewer motorists are over the limit is evidence of a change in behaviour, he says. But he agrees with Byrne about perception of enforcement. Last year the authority surveyed public attitudes. Seventy-two per cent of adults believed enforcement levels to be too low. Sixty-one per cent said they do not encounter a checkpoint once a month, and 40 per cent believed enforcement had fallen since 2008.
Twomey says the findings reflect a change in strategy. “Since 2008 we now do most of our enforcement at the times of the day and days of the week when fatalities occur. That may be when traffic volumes are low, but it is a more effective strategy than just aiming to be visible. The facts that can’t be denied are that 7,962 people were arrested for drink-driving last year. In excess of 205,000 received a fixed-charge notice for speeding.”
There is evidence that overt policing can be effective. Fatalities have fallen by 30 per cent on over 700 stretches of collision-prone roads monitored by speed cameras. Twomey says compliance with the 100km/h limit in these areas is a remarkable 99 per cent. “People know the limits are enforced and drive accordingly.”
Random alcohol tests
He says random alcohol tests and penalty points are the enforcement tools that have had the most impact on traffic policing in recent years.
Notwithstanding the failed prosecution in Donegal last week, when the authorisation for a checkpoint specified multiple sites rather than the one permitted, he says the legislation is robust. "There are no pending challenges to this law in the higher courts."
Twomey says penalty points are hugely effective. He accepts that there is an issue with the way penalty-point offences are dealt with in court and that a significant minority of convicted drivers are not receiving the points because they don’t bring their licences with them or their details are not recorded.
“We are working with the RSA, the Courts Service and the Departments of Transport and Justice to try and improve this and make sure we capture the details of as many drivers as possible.”
How can last year’s increase in deaths be reversed? “It is a mixture of enforcement and education,” Twomey says, but he believes measures in the new Road Traffic Bill – which will increase penalty points for speeding and mobile-phone use from two to three, reduce to seven the number of points a learner motorist can accrue before a ban, and provide for drug testing – will boost enforcement.
“I am not sure if the public is fully aware of these changes and their impact, but they soon will be,”says Twomey.
