Update: Enhanced Road Safety – Transport 1st October, 2014
1st October 2014 - Bernard Durkan TD
Dáil Question
No: 203
To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his proposals for enhanced road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Bernard J. Durkan.
* For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 1st October, 2014.
 
 
Ref No:
37372/14 Proof: 228
Answered by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Paschal Donohoe
REPLY
Strategies for improving road safety are set out in the Road Safety Strategy 2013 €” 2020, issued by my Department in conjunction with the Road Safety Authority and launched last year. This contains 144 Actions to be implemented by the various agencies involved in order to build on the previous Strategies with the objective of making Ireland among the safest countries for road safety.
Aside from the Strategy, the Road Traffic Act 2014, was signed into law by the President on 25th February. This legislation introduces measures which will further contribute to road safety in the years to come. The Act provides for further Graduated Driver Licensing measures, adjustments to the penalty points system and increasing demerits for the most dangerous offences such as speeding and operating a mobile phone while driving.
My officials are also in the early stages of drafting the Road Traffic Bill 2014 which will contain further measures to improving safety on our roads. The principal focus of this Bill will be on testing of drivers at the roadside for the presence of drugs similar to mandatory alcohol testing which is currently in place. In addition, there will be a variety of measures to amend legislation on driver licensing, penalty points, commercial vehicle roadworthiness testing, and written-off vehicles, among other matters.
I meet regularly with all of the bodies and agencies that have responsibility for road safety, including the Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to ensure that all necessary measures are identified and taken to improve safety on our roads.
I am satisfied that the actions set out in the Road Safety Strategy will be sufficient to allow Ireland to continue to make progress towards the objectives of reducing road deaths set out in the Strategy.
Bernard Durkan TD
Kildare NorthBernard J Durkan is the Fine Gael spokesperson on Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. Originally from Killasser, Co Mayo,…
Related news
Sinn Féin reach new low exploiting Covid diagnosis in Dáil vote
Fine Gael’s most senior TD, Bernard Durkan, has said Sinn Féin have displayed a terrible lack of decency and reached…
12th July 2022Agency should be tasked with monitoring alleged price gouging by service providers – Durkan
A government agency should be tasked with monitoring price increases across utility and service providers to ensure fairness and transparency…
24th June 2022Questions remain about National Lottery’s new 'must-win' prize game – Durkan
The National Lottery’s newly announced ‘must-win prize’ is an acknowledgement that the 6-month rollover is unsustainable, but questions remain regarding…
15th December 2021