The Road Safety Authority (RSA), just 10 months old, says it is determined to stem the loss of lives even further. Road deaths have been falling for many years now in Ireland. Last year, the tragic tally was the second lowest number in 41 years despite a widely-held perception that accidents were spiralling out of control. Still, Ireland fares poorly internationally.

National approach The most recent European data gathered in 2005 puts Ireland 15th in a list of road deaths per 100,000 but Noel Brett, the CEO of the RSA, says that Ireland is poised to do better in future surveys. In Ireland in 2005, there were eight deaths per 100,000 people; that figure is now down to seven per 100,000.

Brett puts the improvement down to a new national approach to road safety. "In the last 12 months we would argue that there has been an unprecedented level of public awareness and education. There has been a massive mobilisation of the garda traffic corps and they're out there doing sustained and robust enforcement."

This, Brett believes, has saved lives. "About 86 people are alive today who wouldn't be if it was not for the introduction of random breath testing. About eight or nine times that number have avoided being seriously injured or maimed and disfigured."

This (2007) has been the first year where the average number of deaths a month is under 30.

In the 1970s when 700,000 cars were registered in the country, in comparison to 2,500,000 today, 53 people a month were dying. In the 1980s that dropped to 40 a month and in the '90s it fell slightly to the mid-30s.

Drug driving Although the number of drivers and passengers dying is dropping, pedestrian deaths are now eclipsing passenger deaths. Most of the pedestrian deaths are elderly people and the RSA is urging them to wear high-visibility jackets at night-time.

Brett told the Sunday Tribune that the RSA is currently developing a campaign to combat drug driving, which is presumed to be a factor in many road deaths, given that most accidents occur at night or early in the morning and tend to involve men in their 20s more than any other age group.

The success of the national road safety campaign is not just down to the authorities though, according to Brett.

"It's not just the gardai or the Road Safety Authority. The road users take the credit. For those people who have changed their behaviour, we say congratulations.

"For those who haven't, for God's sake, get the message."