Last year will be remembered as one of the worst in recent memory for road deaths. There were 190 people killed, a significant jump on the 175 who lost their lives in 2024 and the worst year since 2014. A notable increase in deaths of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists was recorded.
The deterioration cannot be attributed to any one factor and thus there is no simple solution. If experience has taught us anything it is that the only response is concerted action by all the responsible bodies. And a change in mindset by drivers and other road users.
The Road Safety Authority is only one of the relevant bodies but gets the most attention. Its remit covers road safety education, driver education, driver testing and licensing and vehicle standards. The enforcement of the relevant laws is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána and the punishment of offenders is the remit of the courts. All three must do their part.
The RSA came in for a great deal of criticism last year, mostly because of the lengthy waiting times for driving tests. Having improved early last year they are climbing once again. They now average 12 weeks but are as high as 22 weeks in some parts of Dublin. The improvement was on foot of an action plan implemented by the RSA at the behest of the Government. It showed the value of focus being brought to bear but also the need to back it up with the necessary resources.
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Taken at face value the decision by the Minister of State with responsibility for road safety, Seán Canney, to shelve plans to split the agency in two in favour of concentrating on getting the organisation to do a better job indicates a much-needed bias for action. Resources will be key, however.
If he is to have a real impact, Canney must get the Minster for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, who has responsibility for the other two arms of road safety, on board– policing and the courts.
Road policing must be more visible and vigorous. Again, resources are an issue here but so is determined enforcement which will not prove popular. The courts must make it clear that dangerous drivers will be punished. Too many judges in the lower courts are allowing drivers to avoid penalty points and driving bans by making charitable donations or accepting temporary disqualification.
There may be no one single point of failure when it comes to road safety policy but there are two overarching themes. One is an underlying tolerance across society for dangerous driving – a point underlined by senior gardaí over Christmas. The second is a lack of an institutional appetite to enforce unpopular measures to combat it.
Both must change if the Government’s stated goal of cutting road deaths to 72 a year, or fewer, by 2030 is to be met. For now, there is a real question about how serious the State – and its citizens – are about tackling this terrible loss of life.
