Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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276. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of fatalities on Irish roads in each county in the State in each of the past ten years in tabular form. [2188/22]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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277. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of persons who died in car accidents on Irish roads who were not wearing seat belts in each county in the State in each of the past ten years in tabular form. [2189/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together.

Statistics and analysis of road deaths in Ireland are in the public domain, and are published by the Road Safety Authority.  The Deputy can consult these reports here - 

rsa.ie/docs/default-source/about/provisional-review-of-fatalities-2021.pdf?Status=Master&sfvrsn=989299e1_3 - and here - 

rsa.ie/road-safety/statistics/road-collisions-annual-report. 

The former reports refer to seatbelts as a factor and the latter include county-by-county statistics.  As it takes time for analysis of the figures, annual collisions reports are currently available up to 2018 only.  The information will become available when the RSA have analysed the data received from An Garda Síochána and the results of inquests.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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278. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of road accidents involving HGV or commercial drivers that occurred in Ireland in the past three years; the number of the accidents that were during periods in which derogation was allowed; the number of the accidents that involved fatalities or serious injury; and the number of drivers that have been prosecuted for an offence as a result of death or serious injury in a road accident involving a HGV or commercial vehicle. [2198/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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In respect of prosecutions, this data is not immediately available and must be compiled from data held by An Garda Síochána (AGS). I have asked for this data to be compiled, and shall forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

In regard to the other information sought, I have asked the Road Safety Authority (RSA). However, it is not possible to match collisions involving HGVs to the derogation. Statistics on goods vehicles involved in collisions are based on the distinction between light goods vehicles - i.e. under 2,000kg – and heavy goods vehicles - i.e. over 2,000kg. However, the derogation in question applied to only heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. This means that the data available cannot be used to indicate where vehicles involved in collisions were also subject to the derogation.

There is at present no evidence to suggest that the derogations had a bearing on these collisions. These collisions are part of ongoing Garda investigative processes, and it is not possible to determine responsibility.

That said, the available data are as follows.

Fatal and serious injury collisions, 2019-2021

Figures are provisional and subject to change.

*In these collisions at least one road user was injured. This could be from the goods vehicle, another vehicle or a vulnerable road user.

**Derogation period includes 18 March 2020-31 May 2020.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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279. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures that are being taken to reduce the levels of fatalities on roads from road traffic collisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2216/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has had multi-annual Road Safety Strategies since 1998, and we have made great strides in reducing deaths on our roads in that time.  There were 472 deaths on our roads in 1997, the last year before the first Strategy.  Last year, 2021, there were 130 deaths, the lowest level ever.   

In our Programme for Government, we committed to introducing “an ambitious road safety strategy targeting the Vision Zero principle” – that is the EU plan to eliminate road deaths by 2050 – and made a further commitment that the new Strategy would be “focused on reducing death and injuries of vulnerable road users, pedestrians, and cyclists.”  The Road Safety Strategy 2021 - 2030, published in December, meets these objectives.  

The Strategy’s primary aim is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% over the next 10 years. This means reducing deaths on Ireland’s roads annually from 144 to 72 or lower and reducing serious injuries from 1,259 to 630 or lower by 2030. It will also be the first step in Ireland’s journey towards realising Vision Zero, i.e., no deaths or serious injuries by 2050. 

The Strategy will be conducted over three phases, with Action Plans for each.  The Action Plan for the first phase, 2021-2024, is available here - rsa.ie/docs/default-source/default-document-library/government_road_safety_strategy_action_plan_2021_2024_13th_dec21_final.pdf?sfvrsn=ec8d58d1_3.  Action Plans for the subsequent phases (2025 – 2027 and 2028 – 2030) will be developed in the 6 months leading up to those phases and will take account of the prevailing circumstances at those times.