Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Transport when he proposes to legislate for the compulsory fitting of cyclops mirrors on all heavy good vehicles. [41667/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In October 2006, the European Commission published a proposal for a directive to require existing HGVs to be retrofitted with enhanced mirrors on their passenger side to improve the lateral field of indirect vision of drivers. Consideration of the proposal by Member States commenced last month. Ireland together with some other Member States are seeking to have the proposal amended to also provide for the compulsory retrofitting of cyclops mirrors to certain HGVs to address the blind spot to the front of these vehicles.

I welcome the European initiative in relation to the retrofitting of enhanced mirrors to existing HGVs. The Road Safety Authority has advised my Department that, in the light of this initiative, it intends to await the outcome of the consideration of the proposal by the European institutions before proceeding further with the development of national measures in relation to the retrofitting of mirrors to existing HGVs.