Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There have been 63 deaths on our roads this year, meaning 63 grieving families. At the current rate of traffic fatalities, Ireland is on course to record 225 deaths by the end of the year, which would make it the worst year for road safety in over a quarter of a century. We hope that does not happen because we do not want to see any more grieving families. We also need to remember all the people who have suffered serious injuries, including life-changing injuries.

The four main reasons for road fatalities remain. They are speeding, intoxicated driving, non-wearing of seatbelts and distracted driving. These are all factors that require Garda enforcement but the Minister of State has acknowledged that enforcement levels have collapsed. The recent announcement of an extra 30 minutes of road policing during every garda's shift is far from sufficient. The Garda must be given the resources and personnel needed to ensure adequate road safety enforcement. This has not been the case in recent years as the number of personnel in dedicated road policing units has fallen by 40% in a decade. In my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, there were 26 such personnel in 2018 but that figure had reduced to 16 as of 31 May 2022 - a reduction of ten gardaí over that period. I hope it has been increased in the last two years but, if not, it needs to be. Gardaí cannot enforce the law on our roads with severely reduced roads unit numbers.

Another contributory factor is the dangerous state of our local and regional roads, especially with the extremely high rainfall we have been experiencing this year. The major cut to funding for regional and local roads during the post-2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country. While funding has increased marginally in recent years, it is not back to the level that would allow the backlog of road works across the country to be addressed. For example, there is a regional road in my area which goes from Kilnaleck to Killeshandra. If two lorries meet on that road, one of them has to pull in to allow the other to pass. It is a dangerous, twisty road. Huge investment is needed to widen it and make it safe. Some agricultural vehicles are extremely large and are being driven on roads that are not fit to take them, which is causing accidents.

The Government is proposing a cut in the speed limit. I do not know how this will make a difference to the rise in fatalities we are seeing without the issues of Garda enforcement and the dangerous state of our roads being rectified.

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