The current Rules of the Road Booklet was first published in June 1995. My Department has been working on the revision of that publication. There has been a very considerable amount of work involved in that many significant changes in the overall area of road traffic law have to be reflected in the revised booklet. The draft document was placed on the Department's website for consultation on 2 June with a closing date of 30th June for receipt of submissions.
It was always my intention that a short opportunity for comments on the revised draft Rules of the Road for the public would be provided and that the new booklet will be finalised and published by the end of the Summer. Submissions received will be considered in finalising the draft document.
In my view, 28 days is a reasonable length of time to provide for a short consultation period. My priority is to ensure that the new version is finalised and published as soon as possible.
The new booklet will be made available for sale. The fact that the new booklet will also be made available on-line by the new Road Safety Authority will ensure that, in the future, the booklet will provide up-to-date information on changes in traffic law and other requirements on an ongoing basis.