Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Transport if road conditions, surfaces and design throughout the country are conducive to road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9921/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Transport if, in view of the high rate of road traffic accidents, he intends to take action to address the issue of unsafe roads, with particular reference to verge erosion, potholes and other surface deficiencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9928/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 123 and 129 together.

An NRA analysis of factors contributing to fatal and injury accidents in 2002 indicates that the behaviour of drivers — 86% — and pedestrians — 9.7% — is the key contributory factor. Road factors were identified as contributing to only 2.5% of fatal and serious injury in accidents. I understand from the NRA that since 1994 it has operated in conjunction with local authorities a programme under which accident locations on the national road network are investigated. If the condition of a road is believed to have been a factor, appropriate engineering measures are put in place to improve the situation. An average of 80 such locations are treated each year.

Each year the NRA spend significant sums on road safety measures. In 2005, €40.5 million has been allocated to the NRA road safety programme. The money will be spent on a range of road safety measures including accident remedial schemes, traffic calming and safety barriers in central reservations. The NRA has an ongoing pavement restoration programme and a maintenance programme designed to deal with pavement surface and other deficiencies. The major upgrade of the national road network currently under way is also delivering a major road safety dividend. New roads, constructed to best practice standards — including the highest quality road surfacing — help to reduce road accidents and fatalities. Motorways and dual carriageways are safer because the possibility of head-on collisions is almost eliminated.

Substantial levels of funding are also being made available by my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to develop and improve non-national roads.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of traffic accidents to date in 2005; the extent to which this is a reduction or otherwise on previous years; if the cause or causes generally have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9925/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Statistics relating to road accidents are published by the National Roads Authority in its annual road accident facts reports on the basis of information provided by the Garda. The most recent report, Road Collision Facts, relates to 2003 and is available on the NRA website. Reports relating to previous years are available in the Oireachtas Library. Provisional figures for 2005 — to 21 March — indicate that 89 people have lost their lives in road traffic collisions. This is four more than for the same period last year.

The NRA road collision facts report includes details of contributory factors to road collisions where such information is available. However, statistics relating to collisions in 2005 will not be fully analysed and authenticated until 2006. They will be available when the road collision facts report for that year is published by the National Roads Authority.