Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I extend my condolences and deepest sympathies to all the families and loved ones who have lost somebody on the roads, in particular in the last year. The Minister spelled it out: there is a large number of contributing factors and there are measures the Government can take in response, be they engineering, roads funding, and the use of improved technologies. However, ultimately the major factor in this regard is driver behaviour – speeding, mobile phone use, and drug and alcohol use.

The comments of a senior member of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety who attended a transport committee meeting stick with me. He said the single biggest deterrent is the fear of getting caught. I emphasise that point. We need checkpoints and visibility. Fixed cameras have a role. Mobile cameras also have a role, but we need to see gardaí at checkpoints. There must be a fear of getting caught. Those are the words that echo in my mind.

I accept that the departmental and ministerial responsibility is cross-cutting. I bring to the attention of the Minister that in 2009 there were 315 gardaí in County Meath for a population of 172,000 people. At the end of 2024 there were 316 gardaí for a population of more than 225,000 people. That is one extra guard for 53,000 more people. The statistics for roads policing are worse. In 2009, there were 30 members in the roads policing unit and at the end of 2023 there were just 16. They are the latest figures that are available and they show the numbers are down from 30 to 16. We need to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána to allow improvement in road safety.

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