Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2019
539. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he is taking to support a vision zero approach to road safety; his views on whether the European Commission proposals for advanced safe vehicle technologies in all new vehicles by 2022-2024 should be extended to the vehicle fleet here over the next three to five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16424/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe goal of the Government’s current Road Safety Strategy, which runs from 2013 to 2020, is to reduce deaths on our roads to an annual level of 124. No one thinks this is easy, but at the same time we will never cease aspiring to achieve a complete end to the tragedy of unnecessary deaths on our roads. Work to achieve our present target is continuing under the current Strategy, and in due course a successor strategy will be developed which I intend to see incorporate even more ambitious targets.
As the Deputy is aware, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union has reached a provisional agreement on a number of proposed amendments to the General Safety Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 661/2009). These amendments will introduce a range of new vehicle safety systems that will be a mandatory requirement for the manufacturing of new vehicles through the European Union’s Type-Approval regime. The majority of these improvements will come into effect from 2022 and the regulations will apply in all European Union states including Ireland.
