Statistics

Statistics

            • Excessive or inappropriate speeding is the cause of a quarter of all fatal crashes each year
            • Drink driving is a factor in over one third of all fatal crashes in Ireland
            • Without a seat belt three out of four people will be killed or seriously injured in a head on crash
            The majority of road crashes are caused by human error. In fact driver error accounts for over 80% of all              fatal and injury crashes.

• Speed is the single largest factor contributing to road deaths in Ireland.
• Over 40% of fatal accidents are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed.

            • A 50 km/h impact is equivalent to dropping a car from the top of a 2-storey building
            • A 100 km/h impact is equivalent to dropping 11 storeys
            • A 150 km/h crash to almost 30 storeys

            Young Drivers & Excessive Speed:
            Car crashes are the number one killers of young men (16 - 25) in Ireland and driving at excess speed is the primary cause of these crashes. Driver error was the cause of 81% of all fatal and injury crashes from 1997 to 2000. Male drivers aged between 18 and 24 represented (24%) the majority of these drivers. Statistically 17-24 year olds are 7.7 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury collision. (Source: NRA)
            The profile of the young driver most likely to be killed/injured in car crash is:
            • Male, 17 - 25 age group, licence holder for less than two years.
            Many die in single vehicle accidents where speeding was the principal factor. Bravado, peer pressure and a sense of invincibility often leads young men to take risks while driving, without realising the dangers of these risks.

            According to the Medical Bureau of Road Safety 90% of blood and urine specimens and 81% of breath specimens analysed in 2002 were above the alcohol limit for driving. Of the blood, urine and breath tests certified in 2002 the Medical Bureau of Road Safety found that;
            • The mean alcohol level in blood was 174 milligram’s of alcohol per 100 millilitres (The legal limit being 80 mg/100ml)
            • The mean alcohol level in urine was 216 milligram’s of alcohol per 100 millilitres (the legal limit being 107 mg/100ml)
            • The mean alcohol level in breath was 57 microgram’s of alcohol per 100 millilitres (the legal limit being 35 ug/100ml)
            International research indicates that alcohol is a contributory factor in up to 40% of road collisions and in Ireland, it is conservatively estimated that alcohol is the primary cause of 25% of all road collisions and 33% of collisions resulting in fatalities.

            Alcohol Level 20mg - 50mg
            Your judgement of distance and speed of oncoming vehicles
crashes. Driver error was the cause of 81% of all fatal and injury crashes from 1997 to 2000. Male drivers aged between 18 and 24 represented (24%) the majority of these drivers. Statistically 17-24 year olds are 7.7 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury collision. (Source: NRA)
            The profile of the young driver most likely to be killed/injured in car crash is:
            • Male, 17 - 25 age group, licence holder for less than two years.
            Many die in single vehicle accidents where speeding was the principal factor. Bravado, peer pressure and a sense of invincibility often leads young men to take risks while driving, without realising the dangers of these risks.

            Alcohol Level 20mg - 50mg
            Your judgement of distance and speed of oncoming vehicles is affected. You will tend to take greater risks, particularly in dangerous manoeuvres such as overtaking or driving too close to the car in front.
            Alcohol Level 50mg - 80mg
            Your vision is affected, slowing your reaction to red lights and taillights. You are more likely to drive too fast and to misjudge distances when approaching a bend. Motorcyclists will find it difficult to drive in a straight line.

            Alcohol Level 80mg +
            You will overestimate your own ability. Your vision is so affected you may not notice cyclists, pedestrians or parked cars in sufficient time to avoid them.
            Alcohol is eliminated from the system at a rate of about one unit per hour. If you have had a lot to drink the night before, your blood alcohol level may still be in excess of the legal limit the next morning. Taking tea or coffee cannot speed up the elimination process.
            Seat Belts:
            Without a seat belt 3 out of 4 people will be killed or seriously injured in a 30-mph head-on crash. Seat belts are proven lifesavers and must be used on every single car journey, on short and long trips.
            Legal obligations:
            Unless exempted, every person in a car is legally obliged to wear a seat belt where one is fitted. That includes drivers and front and rear passengers. The driver is responsible for ensuring that passengers under 17 years of age comply with the law.
            Children:
            It is not safe to allow a child to travel unrestrained, even in the back of a car.
            In a crash at just 50kph, an unrestrained child would be thrown forward with a force 30 to 60 times their body weight. They would be thrown about inside the vehicle, injuring themselves and quite possibly seriously injuring other people inside the vehicle. They are also likely to be thrown from the car through one of the windows.

            Vulnerable Road Users – Pedestrians:
            Pedestrians have emerged as a highly vulnerable group on our roads - accounting for approximately one in every five fatalities annually. 1,150 pedestrians have been killed in the ten-year period from 1991 to 2001. Every time a pedestrian crosses the road they're exposed to greater risk from cars, buses or bikes. Ireland has the third highest pedestrian death rate in the EU and the highest level of child pedestrian deaths in Western Europe & the EU.
            Drivers should drive slowly - as driving conditions deteriorate it will take you longer to react to danger
            • A pedestrian hit by a car travelling at 30km/h (20mph) stands a 10% chance of being killed
            • Hit at 50km/h five out of ten pedestrians will be killed
            • 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed if hit at 40mph
            • At over 60kph - no chance!

?In 2004, 62,000 young people sat their Leaving Cert. Unless attitudes to speed, drink and unsafe driving change, over 2,000 of them will have been killed or injured in collisions by 2012.

Young drivers are more likely to be killed at night and weekends.

Young drivers account for 33% of fatalities in 2004.

            In 1999, 101 young male drivers died on the roads. That's an average of two every week.
            In 1999, 78% of young drivers killed were male and only 22% were female.
            The primary factor in road accidents involving young drivers is speed.
            Young male car drivers are responsible for 50% of single vehicle fatalities.
            Car crashes are the number 1 killer of young men aged 16 - 25.
            Young drivers accounted for 33% of fatalities in 2000.
            Young male drivers between 16 and 25 are most at risk.
            The numbers of young drivers injured in cars is much higher than older drivers.
            Young drivers are more likely to be killed at night and weekends.
            In 1999, 62,000 young people sat their Leaving Cert.
            Judging by the currrent upward trend, unless attitudes to speed, drink and unsafe driving change, over 2,000 of them will have been killed in collisions by 2007.
            Look at the person next to you. Will it be them or you.
            The 'It'll never happen to me' attitude, is wrong.
            The question is which of you will it happen to?
            HELP SAVE LIVES ON IRISH ROADS
            BY WORKING TO CHANGE ATTITUDES
            DON'T WAIT TILL IT'S TOO LATE!