Research announced by the Road Safety Authority (RSA ) and An Garda Síochána has revealed that road deaths dropped by 48 per cent over the last decade. The announcement came as the RSA, An Garda Síochána, Local Authority Road Safety Officers and PARC Road Safety Group marked the global launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The research, which analyses road deaths and serious injuries during the 10-year period 2001 to 2010, also revealed a drop of 58 per cent in the number of serious injuries sustained on Irish roads.
With the campaign slogan ‘Make Roads Safe’, the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety aims to save five million lives on the world’s roads in the next 10 years. This represents a total reduction of 50 per cent on the predicted global death toll by 2020. At present, 1.3 million lives are lost and 50 million injuries are sustained as a result of collisions on the world’s roads every year. Last year, 211 people died and 592 people were seriously injured on Irish roads. The RSA has announced a series of activities that will take place around the country to mark the UN Decade of Action, with a major campaign set for later this year. The campaign will encourage people to continue their support for road safety by making a public commitment to change their behaviour on the roads for the better and make the roads safer for all road-users.
Further information on UN Decade of Action for Road Safety is available on www.makeroadssafe.org
