Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
607. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the increase in road deaths in 2016 and to ensure 2017 will be a much safer year on Irish roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39523/16]
View answerWhile road fatalities in 2015 at 162 matched those in 2012, making it Ireland's joint safest year on record, the reality is that each of those deaths is one too many, and there has been an overall upward trend in road fatalities in Europe and in the US over the last few years, and regrettably in Ireland this year.
The RSA and all relevant stakeholders met on 21 November 2016, to carry out a mid-term review of the Road Safety Strategy 2013 - 2020. The focus of this review was on the measures already introduced and the initiatives required to improve the country's road safety performance. While there is good progress on implementation of much of the Srategy, more recent trends are concerning and challenges remain in many areas. I expect the RSA to submit the review to me early in the new year. At a Ministerial Committee on Road Safety last month, we focused on the rise in fatalities in 2016 and all stakeholders undertook to explore what further measures can be taken to address these, including in the light of the mid-term review. We agreed that there was a case for a more concentrated focus on the four principal causes of fatal accidents, namely speed, the presence of intoxicants, non-wearing of seatbelts and the use of mobile phones.
In an effort to address some of these issues, I have been committed to progressing the Road Traffic Bill 2016 through the Oireachtas as a matter of urgency. It contains relevant provisions to tackle speed and the presence of intoxicants. It is hoped that this Bill will be signed into law within the coming weeks.
I hope that the efforts by the RSA to launch renewed road safety campaigns including regarding low-level speeding, alcohol and driving, and the mid-term review of the Road Safety Strategy, together with greater enforcement by An Garda Síochána, will have an impact on road safety in 2017 and beyond.
