Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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203. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his proposals for enhanced road safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37372/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Strategies for improving road safety are set out in the Road Safety Strategy 2013 — 2020, issued by my Department in conjunction with  the Road Safety Authority and launched last year. This contains 144 Actions to be implemented by the various agencies involved in order to build on the previous Strategies with the objective of making Ireland among the safest countries for road safety.    

Aside from the Strategy, the Road Traffic Act 2014, was signed into law by the President on 25th February.  This legislation introduces measures which will further contribute to road safety in the years to come. The Act provides for further Graduated Driver Licensing measures, adjustments to the penalty points system and increasing demerits for the most dangerous offences such as speeding and operating a mobile phone while driving.

My officials are also in the early stages of drafting the Road Traffic Bill 2014 which will contain further measures to improving safety on our roads.  The principal focus of this Bill will be on testing of drivers at the roadside for the presence of drugs similar to mandatory alcohol testing which is currently in place.  In addition, there will be a variety of measures to amend legislation on driver licensing, penalty points, commercial vehicle roadworthiness testing, and written-off vehicles, among other matters.

I meet regularly with all of the bodies and agencies that have responsibility for road safety, including the Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to ensure that all necessary measures are identified and taken to improve safety on our roads.

I am satisfied that the actions set out in the Road Safety Strategy will be sufficient to allow Ireland to continue to make progress towards the objectives of reducing road deaths set out in the Strategy.