Ms Verona Murphy:

The Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, is Ireland’s largest Government-recognised licensed road transport representative body. It is committed to tackling the issues affecting it head on. It seeks to build the future of the Irish road transport industry by developing and promoting industry standards, facilitating road transport operator education and training, educating end-users and securing an equitable business environment, as well as helping them to operate in the safest possible manner.

The IRHA suggests that while developing strategies countrywide to meet needs and prepare a coherent, relevant road safety plan, we must start with the basics.

As a child I learnt the safe cross code. It was part of the school curriculum. It is an essential part of any academic education that children learn to obey the rules of the road. It should be here that cycling safety awareness is taught. In the UK, “Bikeability” is a Government-funded training initiative for schoolchildren with the expressed hope that this type of programme would incorporate messages about how to be safe around HGVs. They learn about existence of a “danger zone” on trucks and to never ride along the kerbside of a truck especially as it may turn left but yet this is what we see adult cyclists do on a daily basis in our cities. The wearing of headphones while cycling, walking or driving is another frequent flyer in the face of road safety and must be stopped. The proposed new cycling Bill is a totally unworkable solution to a safety problem. If a cyclist is on the left-hand side of a vehicle in a 50 km/h or less zone, they cannot possibly stay the proposed distance of 1 m, because the cycle lane was added to an already undersized carriageway. We are squeezing in cyclists to show how far we have come environmentally but not in terms of road safety. It is putting the cart before the horse.

It should be mandatory for cyclists to wear headgear for their own protection. As road users, the onus is equally on them to operate in as safe a manner as possible. For the driver of a mechanically-propelled vehicle, MPV, particularly in dense traffic, visibility is key. All road users should be compelled by legislation to wear high-visibility vests where they are competing with MPVs for road space. In my experience, a bicycle will fit where a MPV or HGV will not and that is where they will go to try to beat the traffic. Such a law would not make for a nanny state but for a safer State.

The law in our sector requires drivers of commercial vehicles weighing 7.5 tonnes and over to complete professional competency courses that include road safety elements such as the benefits of wearing a seat belt. These courses are crucial to updating best practices and laws. The view of the IRHA is that a serious, meaningful review of the content of these courses is needed urgently. As it stands today, these courses are antiquated and top-heavy with information no longer relevant to the profession. There is no requirement that it be delivered by adequately trained persons in this area of expertise. We appeal to this committee to order a full review of the driver continuing professional competence programme as a matter of urgency and to encourage the RSA to consult with the sector operatives when compiling a new programme.

Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 places the responsibility for the maintenance of roadside hedges on the owners or occupiers of the adjoining lands. The enforcement of this law is virtually non-existent yet paramount to all road users’ safety. It is well recognised that the height of the cutting of hedges goes nowhere near taking into account the height of mirrors on HGVs, buses or tractors, which should be 4 m or more. We are heavily regulated to supply as compulsory the mirror equipment stipulated under DOE testing. A vehicle will fail if mirrors of the correct standard are not fitted but no regard is giving to the hazard of losing these mirrors at great cost to the operator and to road safety when an overhanging tree branch is responsible for its loss. Visibility is a key factor in implementing road safety.

It should be considered that landowners comply with section 70 and provide proof of same before payment can be made of any subsidy due on lands. We cannot obtain a haulage licence for a vehicle unless its DOE test status and road tax are current and proof of same is required. It is the mantra of county councils across the country that if overgrown hedgerows are reported by individuals then they will take action. The county councils’ roads engineers and maintenance operators should be tasked with this as part of their daily work, rather than waiting for motorists to inform them. That would be the equivalent of the Garda Síochána waiting for reports of drink-driving before any enforcement would take place. Pedestrians and cyclists have nowhere to go when hedges are overgrown. HGVs and buses are forced into the centre of the road to avoid losing mirrors but all the while, the councils have provision within legislation to cut hedges when road safety is an issue. As they have the power to require the landowner to take action where a tree, shrub, hedge or other vegetation is a potential hazard, they should use it and show a serious effort is being made to effect road safety and that it is not just being talked about.

Ireland is the only country in the EU that allows tractors on its motorways. They can be driven on motorways in the Republic of Ireland providing that the tractor is capable of reaching a minimum speed of 50 km/h. Incidentally, in almost all cases that also is its maximum speed and this does not take into account the weight of the load it is towing and it is almost guaranteed that it cannot maintain that speed on an incline. In fog or inclement weather conditions coming upon a vehicle of this nature while driving a HGV capable of a speed of 80 km/h, not to mention a car allowed to travel at 120 km/h, is one's worst nightmare.

There have been many incidents of late involving tractors on motorways with near-fatal and, in some cases, fatal consequences. In Ireland, there is no requirement to undergo formal training to drive such vehicles and the age of the relevant driver leaves a lot to be desired. This practice must be stopped, with no exceptions, if we are serious about road safety as the practice makes us the laughing stock of Europe and is rarely defined by agricultural need.

There is no doubt that there are stretches of roads that are particularly hazardous. The one that sticks out in my mind is the N20. A motorway is now crucial to service this heavily used route between Cork and Limerick but we believe it has been pushed out to the 2020-2025 period. Another is the Crusheen road on the N18 between Gort and Galway, which has been flagged by TII as a problem. There have been many near-fatal incidents but actions to solve the problem have not been forthcoming. There is no cost attached to saving a life.

In general, there has been a vast improvement in the road network but rural Ireland is rural Ireland and improvements need to be made. Roundabouts, in terms of their construction, are often badly cambered and this can be a factor in contributing to the overturning of vehicles. Incorrect bridge height signage due to road resurfacing and insufficient bridge height signing are factors in accidents involving bridge strikes, which are not just down to driver error as Irish Rail would like us to think. There are numerous factors to be considered under the heading of road safety, such as insurance. The percentage of uninsured drivers now on our roads has not been helped by the huge hikes in insurance premiums. There is active enforcement of this but gardaí are hard pressed to keep up.

There have been improvements in drug and drink-driving laws and the levels were reduced in 2011. The proposed mandatory loss of a driving licence for an offence of this nature from the Minister, Deputy Ross, is something that must be further analysed. As professional drivers, we are in the designated driver category and the IRHA at all times encourages zero tolerance on the consumption of intoxicants where work is to be undertaken within a 24-hour period.

In the context of the road haulage sector, the IRHA strives to advise where legislation fails us. Best practice is observed where load restraint and load securing are required but the approach to this must become uniform, regardless of whether the operator is licensed. However, it is licensed hauliers that are at all times most in jeopardy due to the consequential loss if they do not comply by attaining a haulage licence.

Our pool of professional drivers is dwindling because no young drivers are entering the profession. A major factor in this is the penalty points system, as losing a licence is too high a price to pay and other employment options mean they are less at risk than being on the road. EU tachograph Regulation No. 561/2006 means that we are already heavily regulated and it dictates rest breaks and daily driving hours. It does not dictate where the safe parking and rest stops are available to comply with the regulations, however. The Minister's proposal to ban any driver caught with alcohol in his or her system and the proposed cycling Bill are levelled at their chosen profession. It is paramount that persons involved in roadside checks on carriageways of over 100 km should be stopped as this practice is not in line with road safety. The authorities should be advised that this is a jeopardy to everybody's life.

The IRHA is committed to reinforce and monitor driver training and has developed a new driver apprenticeship programme which is awaiting certification from Quality & Qualifications Ireland, QQI. We encourage our members to implement stringent fleet safety programmes, with zero tolerance for impaired driving, lack of seat belt use and mobile phone use and with monitoring of driver behaviours where possible through telematics, educating employees and drivers to the highest standards and enforcing all safety, road and other regulations as company policy uniformly throughout their organisations, all of which can go a long way to improving road safety.

The IRHA and I wish to thank members for this opportunity to present our view on this very important matter. I would welcome any questions from the committee.