Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to make the wearing of high-visibility clothing compulsory for cyclists and pedestrians. [13011/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To create a statutory obligation on the wearing of reflective clothing would entail making it a criminal offence under Road Traffic legislation. A person in breach of such a provision would fall to be issued with a fixed charge notice or summonsed to court, depending on what procedure would be put in place for the processing of such offences.

I believe that the wearing of such clothing is best pursued by way of educational and publicity campaigns run by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) rather than by pursuing a punitive approach to the issue.

Indeed, the RSA, which has responsibility for the promotion of road safety awareness, advertising and the dissemination of road safety information, has already undertaken a number of campaigns to promote awareness among pedestrians and cyclists of the need for visibility on our roads.

Several million high visibility vests, armbands, rucksack covers and other such items have been distributed by the RSA, an Garda Síochána, Road Safety Officers, Age Action and the Vintners Federation in recent years. A number of measures have also been included in the Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020 aimed at increasing the wearing of high visibility clothing among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The Rules of the Road also include a strong recommendation supporting the wearing of light, and preferably high-visibility, clothing.