Gaybo gave weight to the RSA but now it has run out of road
UNDER the late Gay Byrne, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) had heft.
Now, nine years after former minister Liz O’Donnell took over as the chair of the RSA, the organisation has lost the confidence of those most interested in its activities.
More than 30 groups have signed a motion of no confidence, alleging that the RSA is no longer fit for purpose.
There were 58 deaths on our roads in the first three months of the year, which is 16 more than in the same three months of 2023, itself the highest number in a decade.
Many more have suffered lifechanging injuries or have been left to mourn loved ones.
In defence of the RSA, it is not responsible for policing the roads: that job falls to An Garda Síochána.
Nor is it responsible for the dangerous driving, speeding, use of mobile phones and other behaviours by drivers that increase the likelihood of death or serious injury. The condition of many roads is below par. Speed limits set by some councils are too high.
Bizarrely, however, the RSA has refused for eight years now to provide data to local councils and other transport bodies about crash location data. It has cited GDPR issues, but this prevents the release of essential information that may help prevent other crashes and save lives.
If there are legal problems, then the GDPR rules need to be changed.
But at the same time, it appears that the current chair has run out of road and that a new appointment is needed, someone with Byrne’s gravitas who could put the authority back into the RSA.