Accidents of old
There was a time when road traffic accidents were not so serious. Pictures like this come to mind. Victims of roads traffic accidents years ago came out of those accidents relatively unscathed; maybe with broken bones and bruises. Cars travelled much more slowly. Impacts were less serious. There were less deaths on the roads. Now however road accidents carry much more serious consequences.
Fatal Accidents
Road Accidents are now more severe
Many road traffic collisions result in fatal accidents, leaving devastation for families of those killed. Last year our local newspaper, the Northern Standard, in an Article titled “Monaghan Motorists urged to adopt safer driving habits” in its edition dated 15th January 2015 reported that the “Provisional Review of Road Crashes for 2014”, published by the Road Safety Authority, indicated that, for the second consecutive year, deaths resulting from road traffic collisions increased. A total of 196 people lost their lives in the previous year, a 3% rise on the 2013 figure of 190.
Many drivers before convicted before our courts on road traffic offences are repeat offenders.
New Initiative
An Article titled “Putting the brakes on drivers’ bad behaviour” by Ciaran D`Arcy in the Irish Times 12th January last has highlighted a new initiative being successfully promoted in County Donegal where re-education courses have been set up which are widely available to those who come before the courts on Road Traffic Charges, such as Drink Driving and Dangerous Driving. The theory is that where a recurrent offender learns of the consequences of his dangerous driving and commits to a course to deal with this, he is less likely to reoffend.
As the Article points out, the likelihood of reoffending for those caught breaking the rules of the road is generally quite high. However, studies in other jurisdictions where similar interventions are common have shown a 50 per cent reduction in reoffending rates amongst participants.
Pro Social Ireland
These courses are promoted by a company named Pro-Social Ireland Limited. For further information, visit their website.
More lenient Orders by the Courts
It is possible that those who attend such course will be dealt with more leniently by District Court Judges. For instances, a Judge might be prepared to reduce a Charge of Dangerous Driving to Careless Driving where a guilty driver undergoes such a course. Likewise a disqualified driver may get his Driving Licence back earlier where he has undergone the course.
Roll-out to the rest of the Country
As reported by the above Article, this initiative has been very successful in County Donegal which has been an accident blackspot for many years. With this success it is likely that the programme will be rolled out in District Courts throughout the rest of the country.
If you have been charged with a Road Traffic Offence and need any further information on this programme, please contact Brian Morgan at 003534751011 or email him at bmorgan@morganmcmanus.ie
For more information on our services, visit the website of Morgan McManus solicitors.