Work to spot phone use & no seatbelts is on the way
WORK will be undertaken to enable road cameras to identify mobile phone use and seatbelts, a meeting on road safety has agreed.
Following talks with Taoiseach Simon Harris and other senior ministers on Monday, the Road Safety Authority agreed to spend an additional €3million on road safety campaigns, effective immediately.
Mr Harris met with Liz O’donnell, Chair of the Board of the Road Safety Authority, and Sam Waide, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, plus several other senior ministers to discuss the rising level of deaths on Irish roads.
Some 63 people have died in road-related incidents so far this year – up from 48 on the same period in 2023.
ENFORCEMENT
Several actions were agreed following the meeting, attended by Justice Minister Helen Mcentee, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Junior Transport Minister Jack Chambers.
The delivery of 12 new camera enforcement sites will be progressed in the coming months. This will include three averagespeed cameras.
The meeting also heard that work will be undertaken to resolve technical and legal issues so enforcement cameras can identify mobile phone use and seatbelt wearing as offences.
The RSA has agreed to spend an additional €3million across 2024 in funding for road safety campaigns and education initiatives. This will start immediately.
In addition, An Garda Siochana will be requested to provide ongoing enforcement activity plans.
A review of the driving test curriculum will be continued, with efforts to return average driving test wait times to 10 weeks by the middle of the year.
It is also hoped that NCT appointment invitation wait times will decrease to 12 days by mid-2024.