Ireland’s Strategic Approach to

Road Safety: Critical Success

Factors

Mr. Michael Rowland, Director

Road Safety Authority

ETSC PIN Talk Finland, 30 September 2019

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Presentation Outline

1. Ireland’s road safety history

2. Current Road Safety Strategy

3. Performance versus targets

4. Evidence-based policy

5. Conclusion

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Ireland’s Road Safety History

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Over 24,267 people have died since 1959…

Fatalities peaked in 1972

First Road Safety Strategy introduced in 1998

1959 -306

300

136

2018 -143

1972 -640

610

Four Road Safety Strategies from 1998 to 2020

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Fatalities Fatal collisions

4

472458

413 415 411

376

335

374396

365

338

279

238212

186163

188 192

162184

156143

124

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019 2020

Fata

litie

s

1998 - 2002 First Road Safety Strategy

2004 - 2006 Second RSS

2007 - 2012 Third RSS 2013 - 2020 Fourth RSS

1999

NCT

2002

Penalty Point

System

2006

Est. of RSA

Intro of MAT Checkpoints

2010

GoSafe

GDL

Crashed Lives

Reduced BAC

2016

Pre-crash reports/NDRDI data to inform interventions

2018

Drink driving disqualification

Unaccompanied learner drivers

*Provisional figures

+9%-20.3% - 55.3% -12.3%

Target

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*Provisional figures

124

110 110107

96

84

9296

86

77

62

52

47

41

35

41 41

3539

3329

25

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Per

Mill

ion

Po

pu

lati

on

Year

Road deaths per million population 2018, Source: EU 2018

Road deaths per million population 2005, Source: ETSC 2007

In 1998, Ireland had 124 deaths per million, reducing to 29 in 2018

2005:10th position in EU

2018:Shared 2nd

position

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Critical Success Factors

Critical Success Factors

Provision of required funding

Strategy stakeholder

collaboration

High level, visible,

targeted roads policing

Maintenance of road

network

Mass media support

Introduction of necessary legislation

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Current Road Safety Strategy

• Action Plan of 144 Actions• Shared responsibility• Accountability• Deadline for completion

• Targets on: • Fatalities• Serious injuries• Seatbelt wearing rates• Compliance with posted speed limit

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Looking back to look forward:Effectiveness of 2007-2012 Strategy provided confidence in

approach for 2013-2020

• Accountability

• Shared responsibility

• Timelines for delivery

• Regular Monitoring

Template of Action Plan

• Minister

• Government

• Stakeholders

High Level Commitment

• Stakeholders involved from early stages

• Engagement started before Strategy rolled out

Consultation

• Justifies investmentCost benefit ratio of 3:1

Looking back to look forward

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Consultation process

Consultation focused on

key challenges

Workshop

Public Consultation

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholders with responsibility for delivering measures contained in the

StrategyConsultation Process

Road Safety Advocacy Groups / NGOs

National Office for Traffic Medicine

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Performance versus targets

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Target for Fatalities

Target A reduction of road collision fatalities on Irish roads to 25 per million population or less by 2020 is required to close the gap between Ireland and the safest countries. This means reducing deaths from 162 in 2012 to 124 or fewer by 2020.

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124

110 110107

96

84

9296

86

77

62

5247

4135

41 4135

3933

2925

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Per

Mill

ion

Po

pu

lati

on

Year

4th RSS

Nu

mb

er of fatalities

Target

458

413 415 411

376

335

374

396

365

338

279

238

212

186

163

188 192

162

184

156143

124

There were 143 fatalities in 2018, Ireland’s safest year on record. This represents 29 deaths per million population.

To reach 124 fatalities by 2020, a 13% decline in fatalities is required from 2018 to 2020.

Performance versus RSS fatality targets

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Target for Serious Injuries

Target A provisional target for the reduction of serious injuries by 30% from 472 (2011) or fewer to 330 by 2020 or 61 per million population has also been set.

‘Provisional’ status in light of work on-going regarding the application of a medical definition (MAIS – maximum abbreviated injury scale). In light of complexity of this work, it was not possible to set a REVISED target using MAIS at the half-way point of the Strategy. More work will be done on MAIS in 2020 in preparation for the new Strategy.

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Serious injury numbers 1997 -2018

16 2016-2018 is provisional and subject to change

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67 4

07

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40

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96

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75

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82

6 96

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96

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1000

1500

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2500

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4500

Break in time series

Serious Injury Numbers1977 - 2018

• It is widely acknowledged internationally that serious injuries are under-reported.

• New data collection method in place since 2014, in collaboration with An Garda Síochána.

• Although serious injuries are growing, the new data reporting mechanism is likely giving a truer picture of the number of SIs.

Mid-Term Evaluation

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• Critical collaborative intervention to improve performance

• Conducted in 2016, after two years of increasing fatalities (2014, 2015)

• Review of progress: fatalities, injuries, contributory factors, Action Plan

• Strong stakeholder engagement: bilateral meetings and stakeholder workshops

Outcomes:

• Strong commitment from stakeholders evident

• Consensus that deterioration in performance is unacceptable.

• Tackling Killer Behaviours is critical

• MUST strive to achieve target on fatalities.

Priorities: • Implement 22 new Actions

• Ensure 26 Actions behind schedule are completed

• More regular formal meetings to pro-actively monitor progress

Conclusions of Mid-Term Evaluation

RSA and stakeholders are committed to achieving target and implementing priorities

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Monitoring Implementation

• Meetings to continue to take place quarterly

Ministerial Committee on Road Safety

• Stakeholder quarterly reporting has proven successful and will continue

Stakeholder Reports

• Quarterly meetings to take place between RSA and primary stakeholders

NEW – Formalise Meetings with Primary Stakeholders

• Progress updates provided at each Board Meeting

NEW - Reporting to the RSA Board

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Evidence-based Policy Measures

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Evidence -Based

Policy & Practice

Collision Database

Public Attitude &

Observational Surveys

Academic Studies

Pre-Crash BehaviourStudies:

2008 - 2012

HRB Coronial Data: 2013 -

2016

• A key tenet of the Strategy is

evidence-based policy and

practice.

• The current Strategy contains 35

Actions under the heading of

‘Evaluation data and research

measures’.

Evidence based policy

Drink driving amendment:

Evidence base:

• Pre-Crash Report on Alcohol (2016) showed 38% of fatal collisions from 2008-2012 involved alcohol.

• International research on alcohol showcased at RSA International conference fuelled public debate (June 2017).

• ESRA study showed lower level of enforcement in Ireland vs EU average

Political context:

• Inaccurate reporting of police breath test figures (Sept 2017); loss of credibility, impact on RSA.

• Minister Ross committed to reducing alcohol related collisions by addressing inequity in penalty for drink driving at lower levels (abolish penalty

point offence, replace with automatic disqualification).

• Controversial pre-legislative scrutiny; unpopular and divisive politically, rural TDs & drinks industry.

• Finally implemented in Oct 2018.

• Still hotly debated in media in 2019 (rural community, morning after testing) BUT drink driving remains in public mind-set = good news for road

safety.

• Ironically, police now criticised for too much enforcement on drink driving, particularly for morning after.

Most recent evidence:

• Toxicology data available for 505 of the 574 RTC fatalities captured in Coronial Files data for 2013-2016, provided to the RSA by the HRB.

• Of those RTC fatalities with a toxicology record available (505), 184 had a positive toxicology for alcohol (36.4%).

Amendment to Road Traffic Bill

Introduction of automatic 3 month disqualification for drink driving at

51mg- 80mg/100ml

• Ireland has internationally recognised strategic model in place to adapt for future strategy, but will continue to learn from other best practice countries to refine approach

• KPI and SPI approach critical to best practice

• Strong stakeholder collaboration, media and political support have been pivotal in reducing fatalities; remain critical for future success

• Serious injuries must be analysed, understood, and tackled

• Life-saving road safety technology must be harnessed

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In Conclusion…

Thank you for your attention

Mr. Michael Rowland, Director

Road Safety Authority

ETSC PIN Talk Finland, 30 September 2019

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