Public urged to have their say on road safety

Whether they drive a car, cycle a bike, are passengers or pedestrians, all road users are being asked to have their say on road safety policy for the next ten years.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) today launched a public consultation to inform the development of the fifth Government Road Safety Strategy which will run from 2021 to 2030.

The public consultation invites road users to share their ideas on what Ireland’s road safety priorities should be for the next ten years and how these should be addressed. The RSA also wants to hear people’s views on how road safety policy and approaches in Ireland could learn from other countries and reflect what is happening elsewhere.

The public consultation, which begins today, will remain open until November 18th and people are urged to complete the consultation questionnaire on the RSA’s website.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton said: “The Programme for Government identifies road safety as a priority social issue. "Specifically, it states that the development of the next road safety strategy must have at its heart the embodiment of a Vision Zero approach. The principle of Vision Zero is an ambitious one, aiming to have zero deaths on our roads by 2050. It places road safety at the centre of our transport policies and systems. "The next Government Road Safety Strategy will be our route map to Vision Zero, setting out the actions we need to take to deliver safer roads. I would urge all road users to have their say in the strategy through the public consultation process.”

RSA Chairperson, Liz O’Donnell said: “The RSA is keen that everyone has the chance to consider the road safety priorities for the next ten years and to offer potential solutions. We look forward to hearing many and varied voices in our strategy formulation including, I hope, the voices of young people. Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death among children and young people so our strategy must be informed by their perspective. I would like to hear from organisations representing our young people to listen to their thoughts, ideas and views as to how we can protect them as road users. Please contribute to the strategy, your strategy, through the public consultation process at rsa.ie.”

RSA CEO, Sam Waide said: “Since the first Government Road Safety Strategy was launched in 1988, we have seen road deaths in Ireland drop by almost 70%. To put this in context, in 1998 we had on average 38 people killed per month on our roads, we are now at an average of 12 per month. Ireland is now a world leader in road safety, ranked the second safest European Union Member State in 2018, in terms of road mortality but has only happened as part of a planned strategic approach. To prevent any fatalities or serious injuries on our roads going forward, we must continue our strategic approach and greater partnerships under the next Government Road Safety Strategy. It will be challenging and is achievable with the highest levels of leadership right down to local community level in this country. So, I urge individuals, voluntary groups, businesses and other public sector bodies to have their say in the development of the road safety blueprint and the potential of enabling solutions for the next ten years.”

The RSA is currently working with stakeholders and key agencies to develop the strategy and is keen to obtain the views of the public and a wide range of interested groups.

The Government Road Safety Strategy (2013-2030) brings together the actions which are required across multiple stakeholders to achieve the RSA’s mission of saving lives and preventing injuries by reducing the number and severity of collisions on Irish roads. The final government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 will be submitted to the Minister for Transport by end of Q1 2021.