Seanad debates
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Bill 2012: Second Stage
This is certainly too high, and any legislation that can reduce this must be welcomed. I know this legislation is just part of the overall road safety strategy, which aims to reduce road deaths to 60 per million of population or 13 per month, as my colleague Senator Barrett said. I do not know whether my maths are correct, but that would equate to about 252 road deaths per year. I take the opportunity to commend the Minister, the Department and the RSA on the continuous reduction we have seen in road deaths. Last year's figure of 168 was the lowest on record. As said by others, however, even one person dead on the road is one person too many. While we can pat ourselves on the back - to an extent - with regard to the figure of 168, I would spare a thought for the many who are seriously injured on the roads, sometimes living the rest of their lives in vegetative states, which is a fate nearly worse than death in some instances.
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