Right strategy, not bureaucracy, will save lives on our roads

11.40.00pm GMT Thu 28th Sep 2006

Alliance North Down Councillor, Ian Parsley

Alliance spokesperson for Youth Affairs, Ian James Parsley, has said that saving lives on our roads is dependent on the right strategy, not the number of officials employed by Government.

Responding to a report that a quarter of road safety positions in the NI Civil Service are to be axed, the North Down Councillor stated: "What is costing lives on our roads is driver inattention and the failure to tackle it appropriately. This has nothing to do with the number of bureaucrats working on the issue.

"We need more appropriate enforcement of speed limits prioritising rural areas, a clearer focus on ensuring drivers pay proper attention to the road, and better education for young people on the perils of the roads.

"We also need to make the process of local road safety committees applying for funds much less complex, and we need to ensure that some of the £1.4 billion extra being put into the road budget ensures that rural roads are properly maintained.

"Driver inattention is the prime cause of more accidents than any other single thing, rural single carriageways is where the vast majority of road casualties occur, and young people are disproportionately affected by this.

Those are the facts, those are what any road safety strategy must focus on.

"The number of officials will make no difference if the focus of our road safety policy and enforcement is wrong.

ENDS