Written answers
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Road Safety Data
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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465. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 527 of 3 October 2017, if he will provide the information received from European countries with the safest road safety record in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43438/17]
Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The information on safety equipment in other countries was compiled for my Department by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The RSA compiled the information from data obtained from the European Commission, and also sent questionnaires directly to 139 contacts registered with International Road Traffic and Accident Database Analysis Group (IRTAD). A total of 23 direct responses were received.
The information was collated and provided to me in tabular form which I am providing here.
As the Deputy will be aware, the five safest European countries in relation to road deaths are Norway, Sweden, the UK, Switzerland and Denmark.
| Country | Hi Viz Vest | Warning triangle | First aid kit | Fire extinguisher | Torch | Other required or recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | No | HGV over 12 tonne required to carry 3 portable warning triangles | No | No | No | Varies by state. Recommended High visibility vest & first aid kit. |
| Belgium | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Brazil | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Cambodia | No | Yes for all motor vehicles | For passenger vehicles only e.g. buses | No | Sometimes recommended by certain transport associations. | |
| Chile | No | Yes | Only for freight vehicles, public transportation and school buses. | Fire sprinklers (all vehicles) | Conaset recommends the use of High Vis Vest. | |
| Czech Republic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Buses only | No | Spare fuses & Bulbs, Spare wheel, hand jack, spanner for wheels. (for all cars and lorries) Hig vis vest, first aid kit and spare fuses (motorcycles) |
| Finland | No | Yes | Buses | Buses and recreational vehicles with gas bottles. | Pedestrians must wear a reflector when it is dark. First aid kits recommended in all vehicles and as a gift for 1st driving licence | |
| France | Yes | Yes | Yes for vehicles used for Professional purposes | No | 2 Breathalysers | |
| Greece | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Hungary | Recommended but is compulsory to wear outside built up areas if you step out of car on the motorway | Yes | Is compulsory but due to recent amendments of legislation it’s not punished. Howeve4r in case of an accident the passer-by is obliged to help an injured person and if this is impossible due to missing first aid kit the driver can be fined. | For vehicles over 3.5 and those allowed to tow trailer of 3.5 | As for fire extinguisher 2 wheel chocks | |
| Israel | Yes | Yes | Yes for vehicles transporting goods/people Taxi, caravans, security vehicles, buses | fire extinguisher – vans, busses; fire resistant blanket – vans, busses | No | |
| Italy | Yes | No | Fleet vehicles | When using a warning triangle it is compulsory to use retro reflective devices or high vis vest. Snow chains/winter tyres must be carried in winter on selected roads. | ||
| Lithuania | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | no | |
| Poland | Yes | Buses, taxi, driving school & exam cars only | Yes (2 in buses) | No | ||
| Serbian | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vehicles over 3.5 t and buses. Commercial vehicles. | No | 2 pcs of wheel chocks legally compulsory for vehicles over 3.5 t and buses. |
| Sweden | No | Yes | No | Buses only | No | |
| Switzerland | No | Yes for all vehicles wider than 1 meter except motorcycles, m/c with side car and crawler vehicles. | Coaches | No |
| Country | Hi Viz Vest | Warning triangle | First aid kit | Fire extinguisher | Torch | Other required or recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | No | Yes | No | Yes( with load control and reachable for driver) | No | First aid kit officially recommended |
| Bulgaria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Cyprus | Yes | |||||
| Denmark | Yes | |||||
| Estonia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Germany | YES | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Iceland | Yes | Modified vehicles buses & Coaches | Mobile homes, modified vehicles, buses & Coaches | |||
| Latvia | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Lux | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Malta | ||||||
| Netherlands | Yes | Recommended | ||||
| Norway | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Nz | No | No | No | No | No | Safety triangle recommended. High viz mentioned in relation to cyclists and motorcyclists |
| Portugal | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Romania | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Slovakia | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Slovenia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Truck and Buses | No | Spare bulb. From nov to march winter equp compulsory. Spare tyre or run flat or tyre repair kit (not for single track vehicles) |
| Spain | Yes | Yes 2 required | ||||
| UK | No legal requirement but should not be used on motorways for safety reasons | Buses and taxis | Buses and taxis | |||
| USA | No | Buses & Trucks | No | No | No | Other safety devices are required in trucks and buses no response as to what the actual devices are. |
Members were asked ‘Is this enforceable by the police ‘yes or no'. Therefore when reading response, yes means it is enforced by the police.
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