Dr. Lorraine D'Arcy:

I fully accept information was collected because there are a significant number of points relating to road traffic medicine and emergency medicine. I was going to suggest inputs into the committee from a health perspective, from emergency departments, schools of emergency medicine and public health.

This is because road traffic fatalities account for 0.5% of all-cause mortality in Ireland. However, cardiovascular disease etc. is considerably more. Some 14% of all-cause premature mortality in Ireland is attributable to physical inactivity. Road safety, therefore, does not just relate to those who are getting injured and, unfortunately, killed on our roads. It is equally those who are dying of cardiovascular disease and cancers because they are not getting the opportunities to be physically active. Therefore, a public health voice on that group would be very welcome.