A chara, - We are all appalled by the carnage on our roads, but what is to be done?
Undoubtedly, small numbers of us can be encouraged to improve our behaviour on the roads, at least temporarily, but is that enough? We are all aware that drivers are in control of a lethal weapon. They are potentially lethal to themselves, their passengers, and other road users. Interestingly, our Garda colleagues tell us that young drivers are quite often the most responsible about drink driving, whatever about speeding.
How do we encourage those who can prevent these injuries and fatalities? It seems that our public representatives and politicians are in a dilemma. There is good evidence from audits in Australia performed before and after the introduction of a strictly enforced penalty points system that these show a dramatic reduction in injuries and deaths. However, such a system means that you, the reader, may be prosecuted. It will no longer be possible never to have been breathalysed or to speed and get away with it.
In our parochial democracy, such measures will undoubtedly feed back negatively to our public representatives. For every death on the roads there are four or five others who are seriously injured, so really the question is: are we appalled enough by the carnage to accept the unpopular measures required to prevent speeding, drink-driving and dangerous driving? After all, politicians' clinics will be full of constituents wanting their fines quashed.
In an effort to assist our political masters, we would encourage the Minister to include a strongly worded health promotional message with all fines. The aim would be to remind offenders that the fine was sent out in an effort to prevent them becoming either one of the fatal statistics, one of those injured, or the cause of death and injury. We are not attempting to come up with new solutions but to help our professional colleagues in the Garda S∅ochβna who know what needs to be done. - Yours, etc.,
Paraic Murray, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Des O'Toole, Trauma Co-ordinator, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9.