The Road Safety Authority is to spend an extra €3 million this year, funding road safety campaigns and education programmes.
Work will also be fast-tracked to resolve technical and legal issues, so cameras can identify mobile phone use and seatbelt wearing as offences.
It’s part of a range of actions agreed during a high-level meeting with RSA chiefs, Taoiseach Simon Harris, and the Ministers for Transport and Justice – in response to the rising level of deaths on our roads.
Simon Harris has announced that work on a multi-million euro rollout of road safety campaigns and education programmes will begin immediately – funded by money from the organisation’s reserves.
The RSA will also identify funding needs for the remainder of the year – and the Gardaí will be asked to make available their ongoing enforcement plans.
Legislative change will also be implemented – if required – to resolve issues around the sharing of collision data.
The meeting also noted Garda Commissioner Drew Harris’ intention to increase manpower in roads policing.
The Taoiseach also confirmed he’d chair a meeting of the Government’s Ministerial Road Safety Committee in the coming weeks to ensure urgent progress on these and other actions.
