Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

The immediate establishment of a road safety authority is probably the most pressing of the proposals in this motion. It would exercise ultimate authority and responsibility for measures and policies in respect of road safety. The current system seems to be confused between the Department of Transport, the National Roads Authority and local authorities. When something goes wrong it is not clear who, if anybody, is responsible or will do anything about it.

A recent accident argues the need for this road safety authority starkly. A year ago a young woman was killed in a road accident on the N59 in County Mayo. The events before and after this accident illustrate the problems arising, unless responsibility for implementation and enforcement are clearly defined and under the remit of one body. The stretch of road where the accident happened had only a base course, lacking the essential surface dressing which provides grip and prevents skidding. Despite NRA guidelines which mandate that no white line can be laid until the surface dressing is applied and where the speed limit exceeds 50 km/h, a white line was laid.

An accident was sure to happen on this stretch of road with a speed limit of 100 km/h. Prior to the fatal accident there was a non-fatal crash, mirroring the circumstances of the later accident but no action appears to have been taken. The road continued to be used at 100 km/h with no signs to warn motorists, resulting in a tragedy that could have been avoided.

Despite the absence of signs and warnings, Mayo County Council subsequently claimed this was an unfinished stretch of road, which is questionable given the presence of the white lines and the NRA regulations on these. The NRA seems to use this claim as a reason not to get involved. The Health and Safety Authority when consulted refused to become involved, on the basis that no builders' vans or other machinery was present and the road was therefore not a workplace. Any inquiries to the Department of Transport yielded the standard response, namely, that the Minister had no responsibility for this matter as it fell under the remit of the local authority.

This is the strange case of a road that was not quite a road, a completed road that was not completed and work in progress that was not a workplace. It would be funny were it not so tragic. Without wishing to prejudge the report on the Meath school bus tragedy, which has been withheld, similar issues to those I have raised here were mentioned in that inquiry.

To ensure international best practice on our roads in all areas we need a single agency where the buck stops. As long as there is a multi-agency approach with no clear definition of responsibility, issues will continue to be kicked from pillar to post, delays will occur, mistakes will not be rectified and avoidable tragedies will continue to occur. Surely the families of accident victims have enough with which to deal without being sent to different agencies. I support tonight's motion in calling for the immediate introduction of a road safety authority.

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