Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2023
154. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Transport the date by which the Road Safety Authority will have completed its review of the road traffic collision data sharing policies, and procedures and resume its statutory remit of issuing reports on road traffic collisions. [46190/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Road Safety Authority is responsible for providing a range of essential road safety services, including the provision of driver testing, education and public awareness campaigns, and preparation of national road safety strategies. Given this role, it is essential for the RSA to be able to conduct research and analysis and provide data to relevant bodies in the sector, such as local authorities.
It is essential, therefore, that the RSA has a clear legal basis behind the sharing and receipt of data that it uses in its work. The RSA receives collision data from An Garda Síochána, which is required to enable local authorities to target investment appropriately, for example by providing funding to address sections of road with high levels of collisions.
The Gardaí conduct investigations into road traffic collisions and produce detailed collision reports. These reports provide information on the causes of collisions, which in turn indicates the responses needed to minimise and prevent future such incidents. The RSA has in the past received this data from the Gardaí but, following a review by An Garda Síochána, queries were raised about the appropriateness of sharing the data in the light of the General Data Protection Regulation and the associated safeguards on the sharing of personal information.
An Garda Síochána recently completed a review of the data fields that have historically been shared with the RSA and tabled proposals for what will be shared in future. These proposals are now under consideration by a specialist data subgroup beneath the Road Safety Transformation Partnership Board. In advance of the next meeting of the Road Safety Partnership Board on 14 November, the data subgroup is expected to produce a set of recommendations and clear action plan for the future sharing of data to ensure that the RSA and relevant road safety stakeholders have access to the required collision data.
