Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012
679. Deputy Ray Butler asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if consideration will be given in the Road Safety Bill to include legislation regarding making it compulsory for pedestrians to wear high visibility clothing on all public roads and walkways in darkness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53888/12]
View answerThe question of whether it should be a legal requirement for pedestrians to wear high-visibility jackets or clothing when walking on public roads after daylight hours has arisen a number of times over the years, and has been drawn to my attention more than once. If we were to make the wearing of reflective clothing mandatory, we would need to create a criminal offence under Road Traffic legislation for any person guilty of not wearing a high visibility jacket. Persons in breach of the provision would have to be issued with a fixed charge notice by a Garda or summonsed to court depending on whatever administrative procedure would be put in place for the processing of such offences. At this stage, I believe that would be a disproportionate response to the issue.
In my view, safety issues such as these are best addressed by way of educational and publicity campaigns, such as those undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), which has responsibility for the promotion of road safety awareness, advertising and the dissemination of road safety information. The RSA is engaged on an ongoing basis in efforts to change our cultural attitude to road safety through advertising, publicity, education and community initiatives. As part of this process it has undertaken a number of campaigns to promote awareness among pedestrians of the need for visibility on our roads. Ultimately, the safety of all road users is a matter of personal responsibility. In that context, the Rules of the Road include a strong recommendation supporting the wearing of light and preferably high-visibility clothing.
