Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2017
568. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the 2017 ministerial committee on road safety meetings; the priorities for his Department for the autumn and winter term in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41980/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Ministerial Committee on Road Safety, which I chair, brings together the major stakeholders in working to make our roads safer, including my colleague the Minister for Justice, an Garda Síochána, the Attorney General, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Ireland Infrastructure, the Health and Safety Authority, the Department of Health, the Medical Bureau for Road Safety and the City and County Management Association.
The Committee is tasked to meet every six months, but in response to the rise in road deaths in 2015 and 2016, I decided that we should meet every three months to concentrate our efforts to reverse this trend. I am pleased to report that road deaths have decreased to date in 2017 by 16% on last year.
However, there is no room for complacency; every road death is one too many, and the Committee will continue working to reduce this figure further.
Unfortunately, the four main causes of road deaths continue to be speeding, intoxicated driving, using mobile phones and the non-wearing of seatbelts, all of which are preventable, and the Committee will continue to focus on these areas. Public awareness campaigns will also continue to focus on vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, in an effort to make our roads safer for all. My immediate priority is to see the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017, which deals with intoxicated driving, through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
