The Government’s U-turn on its decision to split up the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has been criticised, as the Dáil heard Ireland is one of the few European countries where road deaths are increasing.
Labour TD George Lawlor said 180 people had been killed on the roads to date this year, eight more than at the same time last year, and “if current trends continue, 2025 will have the highest number of fatalities in almost a decade”.
Mr Lawlor said “the Government has abandoned the plan” agreed last year to reform the RSA “by splitting it into two separate bodies, one that is responsible for road safety and another for operational activities like the NCT and driver testing”.
An independent external review of the RSA by Indecon Economic Consultants recommended it be reformed by separating the authority into two agencies.
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In an interview with the Journal news website, Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney said the organisation was small, and to divide it would be costly.
He said they needed “to reinvigorate the RSA and to make sure that they can have strong communications in terms of safety on the roads”.
A department spokesman said on Wednesday that, having considered the recommendations of the Indecon review, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and Mr Canney have decided not to create two new entities.
“Both Ministers feel strongly that change and reform of the RSA in its current overall structure is still necessary. The department is now developing proposals to be introduced early in the new year.”
In the Dáil, Mr Lawlor said “commuters are tearing their hair out and the rollback of remote working arrangements is putting more workers on the road, from places like my own constituency of Wexford”.
He said: “with increased congestion, we’re also seeing driver behaviour deteriorating. Those who follow the rules of the road can only sit and watch those reckless drivers breaking the rules, acting with impunity.”
He said reforming the RSA was chance for the Government to “deliver an agency with the powers to actually make our roads safer”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said to Mr Lawlor he favoured the retention of the Road Safety Authority, describing it as the “pre-eminent authority to deal with road safety”.
He paid tribute to former transport minister Noel Dempsey and broadcaster Gay Byrne who chaired the RSA. They “really took on this issue” and “they transformed it”.
Mr Martin said “they were very unpopular in this House” because they took measures many TDs and Senators opposed about issues such as drink-driving and penalty points.
