Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 321: To ask the Minister for Transport the way in which, in his response to Parliamentary Question No. 70 of 7 March 2006, he arrived at his statement that there is no evidence that heavy goods vehicles are significantly involved in road collisions, when the National Roads Authority Road Collision Facts Report of 2004 clearly shows that goods vehicles are involved in 13% of all fatal and injury collisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16356/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Statistics relating to road accidents, based on information provided by the Garda Síochána, are published by the National Roads Authority (NRA) in their annual Road Accident Facts reports. The most recent report, now entitled "Road Collision Facts", relates to 2004. That report along with reports relating to previous years are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the NRA website.

As stated in my previous reply, an NRA study relating to the number of vehicle kilometres of travel in Ireland refers to 2001 and indicates that the average number of kilometres travelled by goods vehicles is significantly higher than other vehicle types.

I intended to convey in that reply that while heavy goods vehicles are involved in road collisions, there is no evidence that heavy goods vehicles are disproportionately more involved in road collisions than other vehicles, given that they have a much greater presence on our roads than other vehicles.

It is unfortunately the case that the consequences resulting from a collision with a heavy goods vehicle are generally more severe than with a smaller type of vehicle.