Seven things that are wrong with the State’s road safety rules, which a campaign group argues should be addressed immediately to save lives, have been outlined to members of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport.
Susan Gray, founder and chairwoman of Parc, which has been highlighting road safety issues for 19 years, told TDs and Senators that “long-standing issues” have been ignored or delayed at a time when the number of people being killed on the roads is rising.
Gray founded the group in the years after her husband Steve (51) was killed in a road traffic collision in Oort, Co Donegal, in December 2004. He was standing next to his hackney letting out passengers when he was hit by an unaccompanied learner driver.
In her address to the committee, she firstly expressed concern about roads policing by An Garda Síochána, saying the number of officers assigned to such duties has fallen from more than 1,000 in 2009 to 649 last February.
READ MORE
“The Government can introduce as many new laws as they like but without the constant high visibility of gardaí, including those in specialised roads policing units, many people will not be deterred from breaking the law.”
She said court issued penalty points remain an issue, with many offenders not having these applied to their licence record. Parc also highlighted that many court-issued driver disqualifications were not being recorded.
Gray said a commitment was given by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in 2013 to implement strict rules on learner drivers who wish to renew a permit by 2014. These regulations are due to finally come into effect on November 1st next. However, Parc does not believe the authority is ready to implement the change.
The committee heard the non-surrender of licences by disqualified drivers remains a problem, with Gray calling for the current system used by the RSA to be abolished. It requests that disqualified drivers surrender their licence or permit by post to an post office box in Cork, but Parc says only 6 per cent of people are complying.
Gray also called for the Government to prioritise the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025, which would facilitate the sharing of data between road safety agencies.
She wanted to see a consolidation of the Road Traffic Acts, which the group regards as a messy patchwork of legislation that needs to be streamlined, this year.
Lastly, Gray was critical of the penalties for people convicted of dangerous driving causing death. Parc wants the maximum sentence for the offence to be increased from 10 to 14 years.
