Mr. Sam Waide:

I would like to begin by thanking the committee for the opportunity to speak to all members on Ireland’s road safety trends this year and the current progress against actions within Our Journey Towards Vision Zero: Ireland’s Government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the tragic loss of life on Ireland’s roads in 2023 and previous years. I would like to extend my condolences to all the bereaved families across the country in addition to those who have been impacted by serious injuries in those collisions.

I know that today we will be talking about numbers of people killed and injured. We all are conscious, however, and I, in particular, am conscious, that every one of those numbers is a person, a brother, sister, father, grandfather, granddaughter, grandmother, friend, work colleague and member of a community.

From 1 January to 24 September 2023, there have been 136 deaths on Irish roads. That is 26 more deaths compared to the same period in 2022. In addition, almost 850 people have been seriously injured in road traffic collisions so far this year. August had the highest number of fatalities per month this year with 26 road deaths occurring.

If the trends of the year to date continue, we could potentially see 192 people killed by the end of this calendar year.

While it is not yet possible for An Garda Síochána to verify the primary contributing factors to recent fatal collisions, our data show that weekends, late nights and early mornings have been high-risk periods. Almost half of fatalities this year occurred between Friday and Sunday. The highest number occurred on Saturday. Although night-times feature lower traffic volumes, they feature high numbers of collisions. The evidence suggests that these periods present greater risks in terms of driver behaviours like drink-driving, drug-driving and fatigue. Targeted enforcement needs to be planned with this in mind.

There has also been a tragic loss of many young lives on our roads this year, with higher numbers of deaths than any of the past five years. Twelve children under the age of 16 and 35 teenagers and young adults aged between 16 and 25 years old have needlessly died on our roads. Almost eight in ten of all fatalities this year were male. This is a pattern we typically see year-on-year in Ireland but also across Europe and in fellow EU member states. In terms of location, the counties of Tipperary, Galway, Mayo and Cork have seen the highest numbers of fatalities in 2023. Rural roads with a speed limit of 80 km per hour or more accounted for almost seven in ten of all deaths.

International research and Irish data show that speeding, drink-driving, drug-driving, the non-wearing of seat belts and using a mobile phone while driving are the main contributory factors to death on the roads. This Irish data includes self-reported surveys, observational studies and coroners' reports and shows deterioration in some of these factors.

That describes the hard facts we are facing when it comes to road safety. The committee will want to know what we are doing to address these challenges. In addition to our strategy - we are in phase 1 of the action plan - there are eight priority focus areas to urgently improve road safety in 2023. These have been identified and approved by the road safety transformation partnership board, which is chaired by the Department of Transport, and the ministerial committee. These focus areas include the use of technology and targeted enforcement to reduce traffic offending, the conducting of research to further understand driver behaviour and the implementation of the recommendations of the recently completed speed limit review.

Given recent high-profile and tragic multifatality collisions, a number of additional measures have also been progressed in recent weeks. The Minister has committed to bringing forward emergency legislation to make it easier and faster to change penalty points with an intended focus on increased deterrents for killer behaviours. The Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, also indicated he will introduce mandatory drug testing for drivers involved in serious collisions, mirroring the mandatory testing for alcohol in place already. I referred earlier to killer behaviours like speed. These are why additional funding to support increased GoSafe camera van hours until the end of this year is so important. The assistant commissioner will speak to those actions planned by An Garda Síochána.

The Department of Transport has also requested that the RSA identify the resources required to urgently implement additional education and awareness campaigns targeting dangerous road user behaviours, including those killer behaviours. Regarding road safety education and awareness, it is important to highlight that the RSA has a comprehensive suite of measures in place to meet our statutory requirements with current campaign priorities targeting the killer behaviours, as stated. In response to the trends seen in our collision data this year, we are adopting additional measures, set out in my written submission, which include engaging young people through Spotify, YouTube Music, Twitch and TikTok and a new disqualified driver campaign aimed at young men to convey the practical impact of losing your licence. We are also planning a new educational initiative on drug-driving for those aged between 16 and 25. The RSA will be co-ordinating Irish Road Safety Week in October, which will involve councils, schools, sports groups and many community organisations. We want every community to get involved in Road Safety Week and make their community as safe as possible. The RSA is significantly investing in campaigns on drink-driving, distracted driving and protecting vulnerable road users by slowing down. A new e-scooter safety campaign is planned for November. Lastly, our national "Who is Mary Ward?" campaign went live in the last two weeks. It aims to motivate individuals and communities to change their behaviours right now and protect all road users by improving Irish attitudes to road safety today and going forward.

For the remainder of 2023 and beyond, the RSA is committed to working with An Garda Síochána, the Medical Bureau of Road Safety and others, including all of the agencies represented on the partnership board, to target the high-risk times, groups and locations identified. I will take this opportunity to thank the staff of the RSA, who are incredibly dedicated and hard-working people who seek to save lives and reduce injuries and who go the extra mile, day in and day out. Our team will continue to undertake its evidence-led and partnership-based work with the public and all those who want safer roads for all.

It is critical that we implement an evidence-based approach to tackle these behaviours and reverse the increasing numbers of road deaths. The Government road safety strategy, which has three phases and runs to 2030, is founded on the "safe system" approach, which has been recognised as international best practice and is critical to achieving significant reductions in road deaths and serious injuries. Phase 1 of the action plan sets out comprehensive actions to reduce deaths and serious injuries. The RSA is leading on many of these actions with partner agencies such as An Garda Síochána, the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, the Department of Transport, TII, the National Transport Authority and others also leading specific actions. This cross-agency and cross-departmental investment and collaboration is essential to delivery. We need transformative outcomes and that requires transformative policy and investment.

Recent trends serve as a reminder to all of us that we can never be complacent about road safety. It is critical that it remains a priority for the Government, even when sometimes it appears things are improving, and it requires continued investment. There are three months left in 2023. Reducing road deaths and serious injuries will only be achieved if, as stakeholders, we remain committed to the delivery of the evidence-based Government road strategy and the priority actions identified earlier this year, including enhancing enforcement, education and awareness, legislation, new resources and technology. Within communities, we must highlight the importance of road safety and promote the conversation about road safety and how to improve it. As individuals, we must make a commitment to use the roads more safely.

This concludes my opening statement to the committee on requested matters. I am joined by my colleagues, Michael Rowland and Sarah O’Connor, and we are happy to take questions members may have on our submission, my opening statement and other matters pertaining to road safety.