Gardai step up road safety campaign

GARDAI mounted a high profile road check in Dublin last week to highlight the message of road safety this Christmas.

As part of their Christmas Enforcement campaign, the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Traffic Corps carried out a high visibility operation on the busy M1 motorway on Wednesday to increase awareness of fatal and serious injury road traffic collisions.

Within the DMR a total of 18 lives have been lost in fatal road traffic collisions so far in 2013, an increase of eight on this date last year.

The policing operation specifically targetted a number of road traffic offences including impaired driving, speeding, lane discipline and breaches of the Road Traffic Act with a view to detecting and deterring inappropriate driver behaviour.

“In addition to the road traffic aspect, we know that criminal gangs use the motorway network to travel around the country,

? a Garda statement noted last week.

“High visibility operations such as this on the M1 will increase over the coming weeks. By policing motorway routes leading to and from high residential areas, we will be denying criminals unchallenged use of the motorway network.

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Assistant Commissioner John Twomey, speaking at the checkpoint on the M1 Motorway, added:

“The tragic fact is that 177 people won’t get the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the Christmas festivities with family and friends this year.

“The vast majority of fatal road traffic incidents are caused by human error, something that someone does or fails to do. Last month alone, 677 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

“In this day and age it is totally unacceptable that 677 people made that decision to drink and drive.

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Commissioner Twomey continued:

“I am here, not only as head of the Traffic Corps but also as a daily road user, to tell you that this is simply not acceptable.

“To date in 2013 over 400,000 drivers have been breath tested and whilst the vast majority are compliant and fit to drive, over 7,200 drivers didn’t heed our message.

“We all play a part in making the roads safer and ultimately our communities safer. We want everyone to enjoy the festive season, however, we want to also remind people that An Garda Síochána will be out in force.

“The message simply is never ever drink and drive.

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As well as engaging in enforcement activity, the gardai were focusing on several other safety initiatives targetting vulnerable road users, that included the distribution of nearly 30,000 items of RSA hi viz material to pedestrians and cyclists nationwide.

“We specifically ask all pedestrians to make sure they are visible when out walking, especially in rural or poorly lit areas,

? Commissioner Twomey said.

“Furthermore, when out socialising, plan a safe way to get home and make sure you are fit to walk if you have consumed alcohol.

“Drivers also need to be extra vigilant and watch out for pedestrians.

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The gardai’s Christmas enforcement campaign will also see an increase in the number of Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT) checkpoints performed, and they will be carried out on a targeted, 24/7 basis.

Speeding enforcement by the GoSafe safety camera vans will also increase to 7,375 hours of monitoring over the month of December.