Five of the 63 pedestrians who were killed on the State's roads in 2003 were over the alcohol limit and lying on the road when they were struck by a vehicle, the chief executive of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said.
Noel Brett said yesterday that alcohol was one factor behind the relatively high number of pedestrians who have been killed on the roads so far this year, with men over 50 among those most likely to be killed in this way.
"Seven of the [ 15 pedestrian] fatalities so far this year are over the age of 50, and many of them are happening in rural Ireland in the late evening," he said.
"Alcohol, unfortunately, is a factor. We know, for example, that in 2003, believe it or not, approximately 37 per cent of all fatalities on the road involved alcohol. And when we look at pedestrians we know as a matter of fact, based on the toxicology results produced at inquests, that of the pedestrians killed in 2003 five were actually lying in the middle of the road, having consumed excess alcohol, at the point they were hit by a vehicle."
"It's a very stark and worrying statistic," he added.
Mr Brett was referring to research carried out for the Health Service Executive last year.
The report, "Alcohol in Fatal Road Crashes in Ireland in 2003", found that 18.8 per cent of those killed on the roads in that year were pedestrians, of whom 61.9 per cent were male and 38.1 per cent female.
Pedestrians with positive blood alcohol levels (more than 20mg/100ml) were 7.8 times more likely to be killed from 10pm on Friday to 8am on Monday than during the rest of the week.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Mr Brett said that the RSA was appealing "to every single driver in Ireland to be particularly aware of vulnerable road-users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists", and to all pedestrians to ensure that they are visible at all times.
