Martin Kenny
Question:64. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on his Department’s work in relation to road safety and to tackle the continuing rise in road fatalities. [13496/24]
View answerThursday, 21 March 2024
Questions (64)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
I raise the issue of the serious number of road deaths that are happening all the time, in addition to the serious number of collisions that are happening, especially at weekends, involving so many young people and tragic deaths. There was a 20% increase in road fatalities in 2023 and, for the first couple of months of this year, we have seen an increase even on that. While I understand some work is being done in respect of this issue, it is about enforcement of the legislation we have. That requires more adequate policing resources to be put in place to catch more people who are speeding on our roads and driving dangerously.
Published in December 2021, the Government’s road safety strategy 2021–2030 has the target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% this decade and achieving Vision Zero by 2050. Vision Zero has been adopted across the EU and aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The second annual review of the road safety strategy took place on 18 January, where road safety partners and agencies reviewed progress in the context of reversing the alarming trend of an increase in road fatalities. In addition to closing out phase 1 of the strategy this year, I prioritised certain actions for the coming year. This includes the development of a national strategy for camera-based enforcement, addressing the multiple learner permit issue, and enhancing road safety education.
Work has also commenced on implementing the recommendations of the speed limit review, published last September. The safer default speed limits called for by the review will be legislated for in the Road Traffic Bill 2024, which we intend to see enacted into law shortly after Easter. Updated guidelines for local authorities will be published shortly thereafter and, with these pieces in place, local authorities can then commence their own speed limit reviews. In addition to legislating for safer default speed limits, the Road Traffic Bill will also seek to introduce mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious traffic collisions and reform the penalty points system so motorists receive multiple sets of penalty points where multiple offences are committed. Furthermore, in response to the rising trend in fatalities last year, last October, my Department conveyed sanction for the Road Safety Authority, RSA, to spend additional funds on increased public awareness campaigns in the final months of last year and early months of this year.
Road safety is a foremost priority for me and the Department. Everyone is entitled to use our roads and, importantly, to be safe on our roads. We will continue to make sure every measure is taken to try to reduce the level of deaths and serious injuries.
I thank the Minister. The key factors that made a difference in the past in reducing road deaths were around education and enforcement. Yet, these are the two areas where we do not seem to be getting action from the Government. One of the things I noticed over the weekend, which I heard about on the news this morning, was that the Garda introduced an enforcement campaign over St. Patrick's weekend, which referenced the number of people found speeding. One person was travelling at 142 km/h in a 60 km/h zone while another was going at more than 200 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.
It comes back to a point I have made several times. The issue is not that the speed limits we have right now are not low enough; it is that they are not being adhered to. That is the big problem. Enforcement is not in place. While I welcome the Minister talking about cameras and other facilities being put in place, this is an urgent situation. It needs to be dealt with quickly. It needs some sense of urgency around it because far too many families throughout the length and breadth of the country are suffering the tragedy of loved ones being killed or seriously injured on the roads. It is down to reckless driving. We see it all the time. Anyone who uses the roads sees it. The problem is that many of these people are not being called to book when they drive in a reckless way that endangers themselves and other road users.
I agree with the Deputy. It is about engineering, enforcement and education, but we need to lower the speed limits. Many speed limits give the wrong message to motorists and are too high for the real condition of the roads. It is important we bring down the speed limits. In most urban areas the speed limit should be brought down to 30 km/h from 50 km/h, in many of the non-secondary national roads from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and, on the quieter roads, down to 60 km/h. That is important.
As the Deputy said, however, that needs to be matched by greater enforcement of those speed limits. An Garda Síochána obviously has a key role in that regard. I will give a couple examples of where we are increasing enforcement. Last September, the Minister for Justice announced a 20% increase in GoSafe camera hours for the latter months of last year, from approximately 7,500 hours up to 9,000 hours of speed limit monitoring. Similarly, we are introducing new average speeds. At approximately three sites, we are testing a new average speed camera system that will measure average speeds over a distance, and there will be nine new static cameras. We also need more enforcement.
I am glad the Minister acknowledged that but the problem is the resources are not being put in place for An Garda Síochána. We do not see enforcement happening on the roads. I saw a GoSafe van on the N4 this morning, which is a road with a 100 km/h speed limit. That road was absolutely open with practically no traffic on it but that was where the van was sitting. That is the problem people have. On the dangerous parts of the road, the vans are not seen. We do not see any enforcement in the areas where we really need to see it.
The other issue I raised, in regard to which I tabled an amendment to the Road Traffic Bill, is that of locations with high incidences of collisions, and dangerous stretches of road, dangerous junctions and a dangerous series of bends. Not enough money is being put in place for local authorities to deal with that. It is not just about having enforcement of safety measures to make people drive properly on the roads but also ensuring that people have proper roads to drive on. Serious incidents are happening. We have had them in counties Limerick and Carlow and various places. All the time, when these incidents happen, we hear reports of multiple collisions on that stretch of road over the previous decade and several people being killed on it. Why are we not making sure that those roads are made safer for people to drive on? That requires investment from the Government to ensure that those incidents are dealt with.
I agree with the Deputy. That is why in last year's budget we allocated additional funding of €12 million to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to specifically look at areas, particularly on the national road network, where there might be sections of carriageway that are not optimal or not up to standard, and to try to address the real black spots. That is just part of it and is in addition to an existing significant budget. We will continue to put safety first. The direction to TII, and in our local roads programme, is to address black spots first as part of overall road safety measures.
The Deputy is right with regard to An Garda Síochána resources. That is a real priority. We want to see greater enforcement and greater presence on the street. The GoSafe cameras are mobile and can be deployed. It is up to the Garda to decide how it best deploys its resources. I agree with the Deputy in that we are trying to maximise that because we have a real issue. There is now a real and urgent need to reduce the number of accidents. The Government will make sure those resources are deployed to help that happen.