For all the talk of people communicating less these days the Internet is a fantastic place for community. Let’s face it, the Internet is simply a technology that allows humans (us) to do what we always have done, just in a slightly different and sometimes better way.

The Internet can also become a very powerful means for change when enough of the community want that change. And so Damien Blake, a Donegal councillor has set out on a campaign to leverage the power of the Internet to make our roads a safer place.

Before I go any further, I would like to say that this blog is a place to discuss my work and the industry I serve, and generally I will never discuss politics here. However, on this occasion I think it’s wholly appropriate to help this campaign in any way possible by offering any support I can.

(To add a little current context here, if the story of Google misplacing a post from Damien Mulley’s blog is newsworthy then surely the constant news of road-related deaths deserves a lot more Internet attention?)

For anyone who is not aware the Irish roads unfortunately inflict quite an horrific death-toll on our country, most especially so to our young drivers. The daily news stories of yesteryear about the ‘troubles’ have now been replaced by morbid announcements of the death tolls almost daily on our roads. It really is a shocking indictment that with so much new-found prosperity this country seems completely unable to manage the safety on our roads.

These deaths are in my opinion the effect, not the result mind, of one major factor: a clear lack of political will to do anything to stop the carnage.

I make no apologies for my simplistic view – if the politicians wanted this stopped they could make a very significant impact on the problem right now.

They could instruct the Gardai to patrol pubs and licensed premises across the nation each and every night and to randomly breathalyse individuals leaving those premises behind the steering wheels of vehicles.

The Gardai should be instructed to enforce the current laws of the land, and to do so paying regard to one interest only – the safety of our citizens. Absolutely no other vested interest should come above that of conserving human life.

Why is this not happening, now, today? In my view that’s the question we should be asking the politicians and leaders of this country.

Well done Damien Blake for actually trying to make a difference, unlike those that simply ‘appear’ to run this country.