Michael Ring
Ceist:315 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment the number of road accidents in 1995 and 1996 caused by foreign visitors driving on the wrong side of the road. [16195/96]
Written Answers. - Road Accident Statistics.
Michael Ring
Ceist:316 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment the number of Irish people killed due to road accidents in 1995 and 1996 caused by foreign visitors driving on the wrong side of the road. [16196/96]
Michael Ring
Ceist:317 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to enable the erection of signs nationwide, informing tourists to drive on the left hand side of the road in view of the fact that there have been a number of accidents again this summer caused by foreign visitors driving on the wrong side of the road and the current signs at the entry points namely airports and ferryports are not sufficient. [16212/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 315, 316 and 317 together. The reports available to me on road accidents do not provide information in relation to the number of accidents caused by foreign visitors driving on the wrong side of the road.
While there is no specific evidence to suggest that our traffic sign system creates undue difficulties for tourists generally, a new multi-lingual road traffic sign to warn drivers of the requirement to drive on the left-hand side of the road has been developed and details have been circulated to all road authorities. The erection of such signs at appropriate locations is a matter for the individual road authorities.
The National Safety Council's information leaflet for tourists provides information on rules of the road, in three languages, including clear advice that all traffic must drive on the left.