Road safety has moved up the political agenda following agreement by the British/Irish Council that disqualified drivers will be banned from motoring in both jurisdictions. In addition, efforts are being made to ensure that penalty points for speeding and other road traffic offences will take effect wherever the guilty driver resides. To date, offences committed in the Republic by Northern Ireland motorists have not attracted penalty points and vice versa.
Cross-Border co-operation on law enforcement, involving such offences as drug dealing, the laundering of diesel or road safety can contribute to a better quality of life on this island. The same holds true for economic and social projects. Such developments were treated with suspicion in the past for historical reasons, but the establishment of a powersharing Executive in Northern Ireland is beginning to change that situation.
Already, cross-Border campaigns to reduce the number of fatal accidents in the construction industry, along with child deaths on farms, have brought benefits. And there has been an increasing level of non-statutory co-operation on road safety issues. This new measure, supported by the motor insurance industry and agreed by the two governments and the Northern Ireland Executive last week, will require the passage of British legislation. It is likely to come into operation next year.
Research has shown a higher incidence of speeding and road deaths in Border counties because motorists believe they can avoid detection and punishment. Six years ago, Northern Ireland drivers accounted for 4 per cent of all serious and fatal crashes in the Republic but this figure rose to 13 per cent in Border counties. Reflecting that situation, drivers from the Republic were charged a special premium by some insurance companies if they lived in a Border county.
In recent years, the doubling of fines, enforcement and the imposition of three penalty points for speeding offences in the North brought about a reduction of 40 per cent in the number of fatal or serious crashes there. Similarly, the number of road deaths in the Republic fell by one-quarter as a result of greater enforcement, mandatory breath-testing and the introduction of penalty points. More needs to be done. "Boy racers" between the ages of 17 and 25 are six times more likely to be involved in a crash involving death or serious injuries than other drivers. And when motorists cross the Border, the rules of the road are frequently ignored in the knowledge that any penalty points will not affect their licences or their insurance premiums.
Agreement on driver disqualification is an important first step. A penalty points system involving motorists from the Republic, Northern Ireland and Britain will take longer because of administrative and technical difficulties. Because of public concern, however, the Northern Ireland Executive is giving the lead and is determined to make progress. The sooner the better.