Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Issues Relating to Road Safety: Road Safety Authority

Mr. Michael Rowland:

Including drivers, yes. The Leas-Chathaoirleach asked about the causes of the fatal accidents. Coronial data takes some time and he mentioned historical data. Looking at the long-term international research, and it is the same in Ireland, as Mr. Waide said, it is speeding, drink driving, drug driving, using mobile phones, non-wearing of seatbelts and driving while fatigued. In more recent research which we did, from a range of studies including self-reports, observational surveys and quantitative research, regarding speeding one in two drivers exceeds 30 km/h, 50 km/h and 60 km/h speed limits in our free speed surveys which we conducted in 2023. Self-reporting speeding behaviours and the acceptability of speeding has been consistently high since 2020 and has yet to return to pre-Covid levels. On drink driving, an average of one in ten drivers has reported driving after drinking any alcohol in the last 12 months. These surveys also indicated higher levels of social acceptability of drink driving in recent years, which is a worrying trend for us. I mentioned seatbelts. On fatigue, it is 20%-----

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