Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
608. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he and his Department have held any meetings with the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, SIMI, and major manufacturers of vehicles selling here with regard to improving vehicle safety systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39524/16]
View answerThe RSA has statutory responsibility for the oversight and development of standards for the construction, equipment and use of vehicles, including the drafting of regulatory proposals and the furnishing of advice to my Department in relation to same. It is in this capacity that they attend quarterly technical meetings of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry where evolving vehicle safety and other technologies are discussed.
Improved vehicle safety standards is one of the key pillars of road safety, the importance of which is reflected in action 64 of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020 which commits the RSA to research emerging in-vehicle road safety technologies and to make recommendations on their introduction. The RSA is currently investigating the road safety effectiveness of such technologies, including pedestrian and cyclist detections systems, with a view to their possible introduction to the national fleet. It must be noted though that mandatory EU-wide improvement in vehicle safety systems is regulated through EU Type Approval Regulations.
Given that a comprehensive approach to improved road safety requires ever improving vehicle safety standards, the road safety benefits that can be accrued from the application of advanced vehicle technologies to both the national and EU vehicle fleet (passenger cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles etc.) are substantial. It is with this in mind that I have joined with my European counterparts in requesting that the EU Commission speed up their review of the EU's General and Pedestrian Safety Regulations, and that they come forward with a proposal for ambitious new vehicle safety standards in 2017 to assist Member States to halve the number of road deaths across the EU by 2020.
