13 Feabh 2014, 15:49
A delegation of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications received a detailed briefing on the rise in road fatalities in 2013. A delegation of the Committee was at the headquarters of the Road Safety Authority in Ballina, Co Mayo, yesterday where they engaged with senior management.
13 February 2014
The RSA works to save lives by improving road safety through educational campaigns, vehicle testing, oversight of driver instruction and driver licencing and in undertaking research to improve road safety. The delegation was told that the rise in deaths on Irish roads bucked a longstanding downward trend.
Reflecting on the visit to Ballina, Chairman of the Committee John O’Mahony TD says: “Yesterday in Ballina, Committee Members received a thorough briefing on how the RSA supports all aspects of road safety. We viewed first-hand the initiatives the RSA has put in place to date to curb the carnage on our roads, and were impressed, for instance, at how RSA education officers tailor their messages to reflect the varied driving experiences in different parts of the country.
\"We were struck by a number of alarming statistics, related to the worrying rise in road deaths in 2013. For instance, the number of motorcycle fatalities rose by 69 percent last year. The Committee heard that, despite the RSA's wideranging promotional work over the years on the issue, 17 percent of the drivers killed on Irish roads were not wearing a seat belt. While one road death is too many, there was some positive news in the figures. Despite the rise in the numbers cycling, deaths on Irish roads were reduced to five last year.
“This visit to Ballina provided much food for thought for the Committee on how it might continue to feed into policy in the area of road safety. For instance, the RSA shared with us research indicating that the use of hands free devices while driving can be as dangerous as handheld phones. We thank RSA management hosting us in Ballina, and intend to carefully reflect on how, as a Committee, we can support them and contribute to initiatives which would lead to a reduction in deaths on Irish roads.\"
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Committee on Transport and Communications
Deputies: Paudie Coffey (Vice-Chair), Michael Colreavy, Timmy Dooley, Dessie Ellis, Tom Fleming, Brendan Griffin, Noel Harrington, Seán Kenny, Éamonn Maloney, Helen McEntee, Michael Moynihan, Patrick O’Donovan, John O’Mahony (Chair), Ann Phelan and Mick Wallace
Senators: Sean D. Barrett, Terry Brennan, Éamonn Coghlan, Paschal Mooney, Ned O’Sullivan and John Whelan