31 October 2002: Contrary to the impression regularly given by the National Safety Council and members of the Government when announcing 'driver blitzes' and new regulations, the death rate on Ireland's roads has almost halved in the last 11 years.

An analysis of road deaths related to the number of vehicles here shows that deaths by distance travelled reduced by 49 per cent between 1990 and 2001, from 4.5 deaths per 100 million miles travelled to 2.3 per 100 million miles.

Another way of evaluating the change is that in 1990 there was one death for every 2,216 vehicles, while last year it was one death per 4,306 vehicles.

In 1990, there were 1.02 million vehicles travelling Ireland's roads, and 478 people were killed in RTAs that year. In the year 2001, the number of registered vehicles had climbed to 1.77 million, while the number of people killed was 411.

Between 1994-1997, the rate remained stubbornly around the 3.4 mark, but then dropped sharply towards the eventual 2001 level.

So far this year, up to yesterday, there have been two less deaths - 331 - compared with the same period in 2001.

It is arguable that if the country's road network had been improved at the same rate as the increase in the numbers of vehicles, current figures would have been even more significantly reduced.

Needless to say, 331 RTA deaths so far this year is still far too many. But some credit for what is a substantial improvement should be given to the country's drivers, who are travelling on what is in many respects a third world roads infrastructure, with glaring deficiencies in quality, maintenance, and signage.

NOTE: The calculation to miles travelled was made on the basis of the AA norm of an average of 10,000 miles per year travelled by Ireland's private motorists. That equates to 170,000 million miles travelled on Ireland's roads each year.