Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measure that will be taken to curb the use of mobile phone while driving; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21394/25]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of driving offences relating to mobile phone usage in each of the years 2022 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21397/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 115 together.

Road safety is a shared responsibility. The whole of Government response is led by the Department of Transport and is taken very seriously across Government.

An Garda Síochána plays a vital role in enforcing road traffic law and in making our roads safer for all road users, including vulnerable road users.

Road traffic laws are enforced by Gardaí assigned to Roads Policing and as part of the day-to-day duties of uniformed Gardaí nationwide. This includes a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other state agencies.

The message from An Garda Síochána is very clear. Driving while on your phone distracts the driver and takes both their eyes and full attention away from the road. This is highly dangerous and potentially life-threatening for drivers and other road users.

Over the recent Easter Bank Holiday weekend, an extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation was in place. Over the course of the weekend 225 fixed charge offences were issued to drivers using mobile phones while driving, 73 were issued for no seatbelt, and over 160 notices were issued to unaccompanied learner drivers.

Every frontline Garda member now has a mobility device, which is essentially a mobile phone that allows them to access a number of specialised Garda apps at the roadside. These include the ability to issue a Fixed Charge Notice, to check a vehicle's insurance status, if a vehicle is taxed and whether a driver is disqualified. These tasks can now be done within moments, without the need to return to the station making much better use of their time.

During 2024 An Garda Síochána increased capacity for Roads Policing and implemented many initiatives to reduce road-related deaths and improved safety, including:

• deployments of High Performance Unmarked Cars,
• unmarked motorbikes and unmarked Lorry Tractor Cab (Operation Iompair),
• installation of two average and three static safety cameras, with additional average and static safety cameras commencing in Q1 2025,
• additional monitoring hours for Mobile Safety Cameras (GoSafe).