Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
4. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport if he will seek the consent of the EU Commission to restrict the sale of all new cars on Irish roads without advanced driver assistance systems technologies that assist drivers in driving and parking functions and, as a result, dramatically reduce road traffic accidents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51465/23]
View answerLast year we had the highest number of road deaths in six years and, tragically, it looks like 2023 will surpass this figure. While we need increased enforcement, we also need to recognise that driver error is one of the biggest causes of deaths on Irish roads. We need to address this by using in-car technology that can significantly reduce road accidents and deaths.
I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important issue. The rising trend in road deaths and injuries is of particular concern, as is the very serious trend in the numbers of vulnerable road users. It is a source of great concern to me and to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Ensuring the vehicles driven on our roads, and each of the components of these vehicles, are safe, roadworthy and designed to the highest possible technical standards is an important measure to reduce road traffic accidents and a vital part of our road safety strategy.
The minimum standards which cars must meet are set down in type-approval law. Type-approval is the process to certify that a model of a vehicle meets all safety, environmental and conformity of production requirements before allowing it to be placed on the EU market. I agree with the Deputy that Ireland should promote the use of the safest vehicles with the most advanced safety features, including intelligent speed assistance, emergency lane keeping systems, dynamic cruise control and automated braking systems, among others. These systems have been found to be effective in reducing fatalities, decreasing the number of road accidents and mitigating injuries and damage to other vehicles.
There is already a legal requirement to restrict the sale of new cars without such systems. All new models of car sold in the European Union have been obliged, under the revised EU general safety regulation, 2019/2144, to incorporate advanced driver assistance systems technologies as part of their design from July 2022. This requirement will apply to all new cars from July 2024 onwards, whether a new model or not, meaning that all car manufacturers will be legally required to ensure any cars on sale in EU showrooms, including those in Ireland, have all mandatory advanced assistance systems fitted. Updating vehicle stock with innovative safety technology in this way will ensure the fleet becomes safer over time as older vehicles are phased out of circulation.
I thank the Minister of State for his response and the progress being made on this. It is in the context of the Science Week Ireland presentation that Members of the Oireachtas received from Professor Martin Mullins from the University of Limerick and Professor Martin Glavin from the University of Galway, who articulated to us how this technology, using artificial intelligence, can significantly reduce road deaths.
In that context, what can we do with vehicles imported into the European Union to ensure any second-hand vehicles coming onto the European Union market also comply with this? The reality is that many people cannot afford to purchase a new car. As a result, those who cannot afford to purchase new car could be facing much higher insurance premiums, as is the case of people in rural areas because many of these technologies will not function on roads that do not have road markings.
The EU regulation on this updated the previous 2009 regulation on safety technologies. It requires all cars, vans, trucks and buses to be equipped, in addition to tyre pressure monitoring systems, with minimum safety systems such as intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock installation facilitation, driver drowsiness and attention warning, advanced driver distraction warning, emergency stop signal, reversing detection, events data recorders, and advanced emergency braking and lane keeping assistance are also mandated for light duty vehicles.
Both must be capable of detecting, first, obstacles and vehicles moving in front of the vehicle and, as a second stage, extend the detection capability to include pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle. Obviously, that applies to all new cars from July 2024 in the context of the European Union, whether a new model or not.
In terms of the look-back at the second-hand and traded market, this regulation applies to new vehicles. It is a European position and European regulations so it is something that we can have further engagement on with the Commission as to how it can retrospectively examine that. When such European regulations are introduced, as the fleet circulation changes, it is about trying-----
I ask the Minister of State to conclude.
I will come back to that point.
In that presentation, the results given to us, based on UK research and data, show that these technologies could reduce the overall number of accidents by close to one quarter and that pedestrian accidents could be reduced by 28%. If that was applied across all vehicles in Ireland today, the 42 pedestrians who sadly lost their lives on Irish roads last year, the highest figure in the last 15 years, would be reduced by 12 and there would be 12 people walking around today if this technology was available. I ask, first, that the standards would also apply to vehicles being imported from outside the European Union. Second, we need to look at how to address the existing fleet on our roads, both in terms of safety and the financial implications this has for insurance for people who cannot afford a new car or who live in rural Ireland.
I was about to come to that point. I will check the legal position on imported vehicles, how they are defined and whether they are deemed new imported vehicles. Obviously, if it is a new vehicle or car in an EU showroom, that is one thing, whereas an imported vehicle is defined as a second-hand vehicle. I will check to find out how that will apply. The current taxation position has drastically reduced the number of imported vehicles, as the Deputy knows, but it is a fair point. We do not want circumvention of the spirit of what the EU regulation sets out. We will check that point with the European Commission.
On the general point about having a retrospective position on second-hand and other cars, the EU regulation applies to new vehicles. I believe there should be a wider discussion with the European Union on how we support those who cannot afford a new vehicle to benefit from such technology and how that could look. We will engage with the European Commission on that point.
It would save emissions as well, which the Minister, Deputy Ryan, would be happy with.
