Minister urges road users to get involved to improve safety for all

Environment Minister, Edwin Poots today said that everyone in Northern Ireland has a responsibility to help make our roads safer.

Mr Poots, speaking as he launched a consultation on developing a Road Safety Strategy for the next decade, encouraged the people of Northern Ireland to share their ideas on how to make our roads safer. Mr Poots said the aim of the new strategy is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads significantly over the next 10 years.

The Minister said: “Every one of us has a personal interest in road safety. We all use the roads and footpaths and we all have a duty to make them as safe as possible for other people as well as for ourselves.

“The consultation I am launching today proposes over 170 new measures for improving road safety in Northern Ireland. It also includes new targets to reduce deaths and serious injuries which are more challenging than those in the current strategy. This is because the reductions we are aiming for are higher and we are starting also from lower baselines.”

The Minister said that while the number of casualties on our roads was declining, the level of improvement has not been totally consistent across all age groups and geographical areas. Some groups are disproportionately involved in fatal and serious collisions, some behaviours are more persistent and the risk of collisions is higher in some areas than others.

He said: “Our figures show that a significant percentage of road deaths and serious injuries occur in rural areas, with many young adults involved in serious collisions. Improvement is also necessary to reduce injuries to older pedestrians and motorcyclists and to deal with the increased risks faced by children in areas of deprivation. To be effective a new strategy must tackle these issues.

The Minister added: “It is my hope that together we can develop a framework that will allow us to continue to progress and will help make a journey on our roads as safe as anywhere in the world. I want to hear your views on this document. Do not hesitate to come forward. Your ideas are important.

Minister Poots concluded with an appeal to road users: “I urge you to 'get involved' in this consultation and help us to shape the way ahead.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Consultation will run from 16 March until 15 June 2010.

2. The current Road Safety Strategy was launched in November 2002 and spans 2002-2012. It included targets to reduce fatal and serious injuries by 33% and child fatal and serious injuries by 50% by 2012 (based on the averages from 1996-2000). The current strategy has maintained a downward trend in deaths and serious injuries from the 1996-2000 average of 1,748, to 1,097 in 2008.

3. The proposed targets in the consultation paper for a 2010-2020 strategy are based on averages from 2004-2008:

• To reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by at least 40%;
• To reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions by at least 45%;
• To reduce the number of children (aged 0 to 15) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%; and
• To reduce the number of young people (aged 16 to 24) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%.

4. Northern Ireland will be the first part of the UK to introduce a target specifically to reduce fatal or serious casualties in the 16-26 year old age group.

5. The consultation document is available on the DOE website

6. Supporting documents are also available including a number of research projects carried out to support the development of a new strategy and a Problem Profile detailing current road safety issues on NI roads. These are available on the DOE website here and here.

7. All media enquiries should be directed to the DOE Press Office on 028 9054 0003. Out of office hours, please contact the duty press officer on pager 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.