WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3340/97 by Bernie MALONE to the Commission. Road accidents in Ireland
Date: 1997-10-22
Institutions: European Parliament, MALONE
Subjects: EU programme, Ireland, first aid, mortality, motor car, public awareness campaign, road traffic, statistics, transport accident, trauma

C 174/44

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

8. 6. 98

In addition, the Commission actively advocates cost-free changes in behaviour which would save a large number
of lives and reduce the seriousness of injuries. If in Italy, for instance, front and rear seat belt wearing was at the
level of the countries in which it is most usual, reliable estimates put the number of lives that would be saved at
1 384 every year › a reduction in deaths of about 20%.

(1)  COM(97) 131 final.

(98/C 174/82)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3340/97

by Bernie Malone (PSE) to the Commission

(22 October 1997)

Subject: Road accidents in Ireland

1.
Can the Commission indicate how many people were injured and killed in road accidents in Ireland in the
latest  year  for  which  statistics  are  available,  and  how  these  statistics  translate  into  fatalities  per  million  cars
registered (a) in Ireland and (b) by comparison with the rest of the EU?

2. What is the estimated economic cost of road deaths in Ireland?

3. What changes are recommended by the Commission in order to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in
road accidents?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 1997)

In 1994, 404 people were killed in traffic accidents in Ireland and 10 231 were injured. Based on the number
killed  by  million  inhabitants  over  the  period  1991-1994,  the  position  of  Ireland  is  worse  than  the  European
average, and proportionately worse than that of five other Member States. Clearly, it is difficult to make precise
comparisons between Member States as there are a number of factors, such as the quality of infrastructure, which
are not comparable. The figures given above are, however, a clear indication of the relative rate of deaths and
injuries.

The Commission has calculated that the direct cost of road accidents (including the cost of police and emergency
services, vehicle repairs, and lost economic output), is 45 000 MECU per year for the Community as a whole.
When divided by the total of 45 000 road fatalities per year, this gives a simple average of 1 MECU per death and
associated injuries. In Ireland, the (cid:145)1 MECU test(cid:146) would produce a cost for road deaths of about 400 MECU per
year.

The  Commission  has  adopted  a  communication  (cid:145)Promoting  road  safety  in  the  EU  ›  The  programme  for
1997-2001(cid:146) (1)  which  sets  out  in  detail  the  Commission(cid:146)s  plans  to  build  on  the  successes  of  the  first  action
programme  which  ran  from  1993-1996.  The  Commission(cid:146)s  actions  will  focus  on  three  areas:  information
gathering  and  dissemination  in  order  to  identify  and  to  monitor  the  situation  and  thereby  promote  focused
improvements; initiating and supporting measures to avoid accidents, with an emphasis on the human factor and
its interface with environmental features like road and junction design, and traffic signals; and initiating and
supporting measures to reduce the consequences of accidents when they occur › by means of achieving further
improvements  in  vehicle  design  and  crash  resilience,  for  example.  In  addition,  the  Commission  actively
advocates cost-free changes in behaviour which would save a large number of lives and reduce the seriousness of
injuries. If in Ireland, for instance, front and rear seat belt wearing was at the level of the countries in which it is
most usual, reliable estimates put the number of lives that would be saved at 61 every year.

(1)  COM(97) 131 final.