Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the new road safety strategy 2021-2030, which the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton is bringing to Cabinet today, in the new year. This is an important strategy with an overarching aim to reduce road deaths, which we will all support. It is worth noting for the information of Senators and road users that since the first road safety strategy was introduced in 1998, there has been a 70% decline in the number of road deaths. That is something we all welcome. The new strategy aims to eliminate all road deaths but quantifies it that it seeks to reduce the number of road deaths from 144 to 72 - with one death being one too many - and the number of serious injuries from 1,259 to 630. Ireland has signed up to Vision Zero, which involves eliminating all road deaths on our roads.

It is important that we have debate on the new strategy. I welcome many of the measures in the new road safety strategy but there is one that we will need to tease out further. We had a consultative process before the strategy was published. The measure I am concerned about is the possible opening up of an online portal for uploading footage of road traffic offences. I would be worried about that for a number of reasons. It is important that we all work to reduce the number of deaths on our roads and improve road safety. In that context, we should have a debate on the new strategy as a matter of urgency in the new year. Our roads are getting busy again and it is important that we have a new national road safety.