40% of Irish road deaths related to drink driving

  • June 23, 2016

A new report from ETSC’s Irish member, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), has revealed that between 2008 and 2012, alcohol was a contributory factor in 38% of all fatal collisions in Ireland. The report, analysed police forensic fatal collision investigation files in order to identify the main contributory factors in collisions.

983 fatal collisions occurred on Irish roads between 2008 and 2012, claiming the lives of 1,077 people. The forensic details of 867 fatal collisions were analysed to identify the cause of the collisions – of these, alcohol was a main contributory factor in 2 in 5 (330) collisions, claiming the lives of 286 people. A further 69 people were seriously injured.

The report also found that of the 867 collisions analysed:

  • 38% of all fatal collisions involved a driver, motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian who had consumed alcohol
  • 29% of all fatal collisions involved a driver or motorcyclist who had consumed alcohol
  • 9% of all fatal collisions involved a pedestrian who had consumed alcohol

Of the 947 people killed in the 867 collisions analysed, alcohol was a contributory factor in:

  • 38% of all driver deaths
  • 30% of all motorcyclist deaths
  • 47% of all pedestrian deaths
  • 42% of all passenger deaths
  • 86% of drivers and 51% of passengers not wearing seatbelt who had consumed alcohol were killed

Of the 330 alcohol related collisions:

  • 1 in 10 of all driver alcohol related collisions occurred between 7am and 11am.

Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority said: “While the majority of people in (Ireland) do the right thing, it is shocking to see that alcohol is still a significant factor. It shows that while we all understand in theory that we shouldn’t drink and drive or walk home drunk, we still have not fully eradicated the practice in Ireland, and even more harrowing was the sheer number of young people – young men in particular – who lost their lives on our roads as a result of alcohol.”

Download the report.

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