The Irish Cycling Campaign (ICC) has called on the National Safety Council (NSC) to list non-enforcement of traffic laws as the number one killer on our Irish Roads.

David Maher, PRO of the ICC explained “If we want to reduce the slaughter on our roads it is time the NSC faced up to the reality that the key problem is our dismal levels of law enforcement. Are the gardai really surprised that a policy of ‘near zero enforcement’ has led to a pandemic of lawlessness on our roads ? In all the key areas, our enforcement levels are way below international best practice. In Sweden a motorist will pass a speed check on 1 in every 6 trips made, in Ireland the figure is closer to 1 in 4000.”

Maher continued: “For those addicted to speeding, illegal parking and drink driving, Ireland is simply heaven. So low is the chance of being caught, that compliance to the law is an optional extra. Coming from a dismally low level of enforcement, the introduction of penalty points was used as a further opportunity to slash enforcement levels with speeding tickets issued dropping from 350,000 a year to 100,000. The focus seems to be saving on paperwork rather than saving lives”.

Just what a joke the slogan ‘Get the point, not the points’ is, can be gauged by the fact, that over the past 3 years, 4 times as many people have won the national lottery as have been banned under the penalty points systems.

The statistics on the lack on enforcement are stark:
Speeding: Despite 99% speeding in 50 kph zones a motorist can expect a ticket every 28 years.

Drink Driving: 2003 saw 15,000 breath tests– a motorist can expect to be breathalyzed every 140 years.