Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairperson. I welcome the Minister of State. It is great to see him in his new role. I wish him every good wish.

As we all know, the critical issue of road safety is of the utmost importance because it affects every citizen. It is essential to acknowledge the progress we have made. Across the European Union, road fatalities have fallen considerably over the past decade. In 2022, there were more than 20% fewer fatalities than in 2012. Ireland has been at the forefront of this positive trend.As of 2024, Ireland had the fourth lowest number of road fatalities per million inhabitants in the entire European Union. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our road safety authorities and the co-operation of the public. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in the use of public transport, which is a proven means of reducing accidents and enhancing road safety. This shift towards public transport is a positive development that we must continue to encourage.

However, despite these achievements, there are still numerous challenges that we must address. One of the primary issues is the question of driving licences. It is imperative that licences serve their intended purpose, ensuring that as many drivers as possible on our roads are educated in road safety and good driving practices. Unfortunately, our current system makes it too difficult for people to take the lawful route and too easy to take the unlawful route. On one hand, we have the lengthy waiting times for driving tests, the extended duration of lessons, the high cost of lessons and the exorbitant insurance costs that learner drivers must bear, either on their own vehicles or through increased family vehicle insurance premiums. I have heard numerous stories from families who were unable to include their children on their family car insurance and were forced to practise driving with their children illegally. In fact, this is one of the better outcomes. Faced with these hurdles, many people decide not to pursue a licence at all.

We all know the stories of people who drive on our roads for years, sometimes decades, on nothing but a provisional licence. Estimates suggest that around 5% of Irish drivers are unlicensed, a figure that is much higher than in other European countries. In 2023, there was an 11% increase in such cases. Ultimately, who can blame them? We have a police force that has weakened its checks for licences and, in recent years, has weakened its checks in general. In 2023, it was reported that Garda checks for drink driving had halved. After speaking to many constituents, it is clear that checks are rare and, when they occur, checks on licences are even rarer. While new legislation coming into effect at the end of the month will allow gardaí to check licence numbers against the insurance database, it is questionable whether this will lead to significant improvements. This raises questions over why the Government seems more concerned about directing the gardaí to pursue uninsured drivers rather than unlicensed ones. It also raises the question of why gardaí have not been checking for licences more frequently in the first place.

No amount of law enforcement can address the issue of unlicensed drivers when many are forced into this position. In January, a spokesperson for the RSA attributed much of the recent delays to population increases, which have been heavily driven by immigration in recent years, particularly from non-EU countries. Since we do not have any licence recognition or exchange agreements with many non-EU countries, such as Brazil or India, it can be assumed that much of the backlog for driving tests comes from migrants who already hold licences from their home countries and know how to drive. Therefore, a solution that could alleviate much of the driving test backlog could be to extend licence exchange or negotiate agreements with the main non-EU countries from which many of our migrants come. This would not only reduce the backlog but also ensure that tests were given more regularly to new learners.

While we may have made significant strides in improving road safety, there is still much work to be done. We must address the issues in our licensing system and ensure that all drivers on our roads are probably educated and licensed. Only then can we continue to lead the way on road safety and protect the lives of our citizens.