Road safety groups declare no confidence in RSA following spate of deaths
Last Irish The Have Date Ie">there Lang="en This Data Ie" Time Deaths Than More On Contrast="none" Roads Year To Year, 58 Been 16 Same Xml:lang="en
Nearly 30 road safety advocacy bodies have declared no confidence in the Road Safety Authority (RSA) after a spate of deaths in the first three months of 2024.
The various bodies, including the Dublin and Cork Commuter Coalitions and multiple cycling and pedestrian organisations from across the country, have released a jointly-signed statement declaring themselves as having lost confidence in the RSA, which they say “is no longer fit for purpose”.
The statement comes as the Department of Transport is conducting a review of the RSA to ensure it is "fit for purpose".
There have been 58 deaths on Irish roads this year — 42 people in cars, 11 pedestrians, three motorcyclists, and two cyclists. That is 16 more than had been recorded at the same stage in 2023, itself the worst year for fatalities on Irish roads in a decade.
In its statement, the coalition of 28 road safety advocates notes that the RSA bears responsibility for the implementation of the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, “the primary aim of which is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% by 2030”.
“The number of deaths on our roads is not reducing. It is worsening,” they said, adding that this fact suggests the RSA is “failing in its core mission”.
"The Road Safety Authority is the lead agency for road safety in Ireland and we have lost confidence in it. We believe it is no longer fit for purpose."
The groups further accused the authority of remaining silent in the face of local opposition in communities to proposed road safety interventions. They also said more should be done by the RSA in terms of commenting on court sentencing in relation to road safety issues.
An RSA spokesperson said the organisation would not be responding to the accusation that it is no longer fit for purpose.
The road safety groups further said that in their opinion “data available to road safety researchers is insufficient or outdated”.
“Historic road collision data is not being made available to road safety auditors,” they said.
“The RSA is not providing up-to-date and comprehensive data which can be used to make our roads safer.”
“At the time of writing, 58 people have been killed on our roads in 2024. This number is not just a statistic.
The RSA spokesperson said that, in terms of road safety statistics, the authority would speak on the subject “next week, when the research team share the data”.
Meanwhile, in terms of the Department of Transport’s review of the RSA, today marks the deadline for members of the public to answer a series of questions regarding the authority’s functions.
In its call for submissions, the department states that it has hired Indecon International Consultants to conduct that review on its behalf.
Questions on the submission form include: ‘What are the most important functions carried out by the RSA?’ and ‘What does the public think the RSA should be doing that it isn’t already?'.
The RSA’s “focus and balance” is also being considered, as is the fact that the authority is self-funding.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: “An external review of the RSA has been commissioned by the Department of Transport in accordance with the department’s obligations under the code of practice for the governance of State bodies.”
“The overall objective of the review is to conduct a thorough and comprehensive examination of the organisational structures, funding model, service provision, and strategic goals,” they said, with the aim of ensuring the authority is “fit for purpose”.
As well as road safety promotion and awareness, research, and the implementation of the Government’s road safety strategies, the RSA is also responsible for driver testing and licensing, and the NCT.
Read More