Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 December 2012
20. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the upcoming new road strategy for 2013 to 2020; the measures that he believes should be included in the new strategy; if this will include roadside drug testing measures [57251/12]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority is in the process of preparing the next Road Safety Strategy, which will cover an 8-year period from 2013 to 2020. The aim of the Strategy, like all previous, will be to save lives and prevent injuries by reducing the number and severity of collisions on our roads.
The Strategy will contain key, definable actions that will seek to achieve this overall aim and to close the gap between Ireland and the best performing countries in the EU. Some of these actions will need to be underpinned by provisions in law and I expect that the Strategy will reflect measures that Minister Varadkar has recently approved for inclusion in the next Road Traffic Bill.
In general, the new Strategy, while not deflecting attention from road fatalities, will concentrate to a significant extent on serious injuries caused by road collisions.
It is the responsibility of the RSA, in the first instance, to draft the new Strategy and submit it to the Minister for consideration. I understand that consultation with all relevant stakeholders is currently taking place and it is expected that a draft will be received early in the New Year.
In relation to road side drug testing the new Road Traffic Bill, which was recently approved by Government, includes provision for road side impairment testing which will allow Gardaí to test for drugs.
