Road deaths in Ireland have dropped by 30 per cent in the period 1997 to 2007, according to the Road Safety Authority. A total of 472 people lost their lives on the roads in 1997 compared to 336 in 2007.

"Ireland's roads are getting safer," said Mr Noel Brett, CEO, Road Safety Authority. "We have seen deaths drop by almost a third in the last ten years despite the fact that there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of drivers and a 70 per cent increase in the number of vehicles on our roads," he added.

Commenting on provisional figures for the number of road deaths in 2007, Mr Brett said, "While one death on our roads is one too many, 2007 was one of the safest years on Irish roads in over 40 years. Only 1961 and 2003 were safer when a total of 335 road deaths were recorded in both years." Twenty-nine fewer people were killed on Irish roads in 2007 compared to 2006 when 365 people lost their lives according to the RSA. This represents an eight per cent reduction in deaths on 2006.

Road Deaths by Road User Category 2007

"A number of factors have contributed to the reduction in road deaths in 2007," said Mr Brett. "The most important was that road users changed their behaviour and this has resulted in lives being saved and injuries prevented."

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