Over 2,000 people have been saved from death or serious injury because of major improvements in road safety in Northern Ireland in the past five years, it can be revealed today.

A 10-year target set by the Government in 2002 to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads by a third — 580 people a year — has been met five years early.

Ministers are now being urged to emulate countries such as Sweden which have a zero road death target.

Commenting on the reduction, Charlie Henderson, a senior consultant with management advisors PA Consulting Group, said: “In practice this means that at the beginning of 2008 there were 2,200 persons who had not been killed or seriously injured than would have been expected.

“In light of the current political and economic situation”, Mr Henderson said, “this could be deemed as one of the government’s successes”.

Historically, Northern Ireland has had the worst road safety record in the UK, but in the past five years its performance has improved significantly.

Mr Henderson said some that would argue Northern Ireland was simply catching up with the rest of the UK from an atrocious starting position — but in fact it has now moved ahead of other UK regions.

He said given the current financial climate, it could be argued that road safety was a “job done”.

But he said: “The reality is that all road traffic collisions are avoidable and we should not be satisfied with the current levels of carnage on our roads — 113 deaths and 1,097 series injuries last year alone.”

Not only did they bring about immense personal suffering, but there was a significant economic cost associated with the suffering which amounts to some £450m a year, he said.

And in terms of other road users, it should be remembered that about 20% of all congestion is caused by collisions, he said.

At the same time, a drop in accidents and injuries should lead to a reduction in motor insurance premiums.

Mr Henderson said: “Now that the Government has achieved the target it could be argued that it is time to divert funding and political effort into other areas. However, now is the time to consider a more ambitious target.”

He said, for example, Sweden’s Vision Zero envisaged a time when nobody was killed or seriously injured as a result of a road traffic collision.

“This underpins their whole approach to road safety, where there is no compromise.

“Not only does Sweden have some of the safest roads in Europe as a result of this, their economy has benefited too.

“Companies such as Saab, Volvo and Autoliv have become world leaders in safe vehicle design.”

The message was clear. While Government had been successful in improving Northern Ireland’s road safety record, now was not the time to ease off.

“Reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads benefits us all.

“The Government needs to reaffirm its commitment to reducing the carnage on our roads through new, more challenging targets together with appropriate funding,” said Mr Hamilton.