Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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345. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he plans any regulations requiring cyclists and scooterists to wear a high-vis jacket at night-time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12030/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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To create a statutory obligation on wearing reflective clothing would entail making it a criminal offence under road traffic legislation for any person in breach of such a provision. They would then be issued with a fixed charge notice or summonsed to court, depending on the procedure in place for such offences. This would place a substantial additional burden on the resources of both the Courts and of An Garda Síochána.

On this basis, it has long been the view of my Department that wearing reflective clothing is best promoted by educational and publicity campaigns, rather than by a punitive approach. The Road Safety Authority, which has responsibility for the promotion of road safety awareness and the dissemination of road safety information, frequently undertakes campaigns to promote awareness among pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter users of the need for visibility on our roads. The safety benefits of reflective clothing are also set out in detail in the Rules of the Road.