Column

RSA figures show that reducing speed won’t be enough

The Road Safety Authority’s data is fascinating as it reveals clearly that the main cause of road deaths is not what we think it is

Anton Savage: ‘The first thing the data says is: we don’t have a general problem, we have a male-behaviour problem.’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

One off the things the Road Safety Authority does very well is produce and collate data. Which must be a frustration for the organisation, because so few appear to read it. When it became clear that last year was one of the worst for road deaths in recent times, the commentariat and politicos fell over themselves to discuss reducing speed limits and improving overall driver behaviour – solutions which sound pleasingly logical and effective, but ...