I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

notes that:

- there had been a downward trend in fatalities on Irish roads since the introduction of the first Road Safety Strategy in 1997;

- 2021 saw the lowest numbers killed on our roads since records began in 1959;

- three of the last four years have seen an annual increase in road-related fatalities and serious injuries;

- according to Road Safety Authority statistics, there were 185 fatalities in 2025 of which 76 were drivers (41 per cent), 41 were pedestrians (22 per cent), 30 were motorcyclists (16 per cent), 21 were passengers (11 per cent), 14 were pedal cyclists (8 per cent) and 3 were e-scooter users (2 per cent);

- behind each fatality lies heartbroken families, friends and loved ones;

- for every fatality, there are eight serious and possibly life-changing injuries, causing pain and hardship;

- the four main causes of fatalities are speeding, distraction, not wearing a seatbelt, and intoxicated driving;

- the aim of our Road Safety Strategy is to reduce speeds to safe, appropriate levels for the roads being used and the people using them;

- cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists are even more vulnerable to fatalities and injury, and at even lower speeds;

- research from 2022 indicates that approximately one in four motorists are not only checking their phone, but also writing text messages while driving;

- the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland reveals that e-scooter accidents are now the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in children admitted to the paediatric neurosurgical centre at Children’s Health Ireland, Temple Street;

acknowledges that:

- the Department of Transport has directed local authorities to commence a review of their urban road networks with a view to increasing the number of 30km per hour zones; where this lower speed limit is appropriate and in accordance with the statutory guidelines issued by the Department, changes will be made at the discretion of local authorities;

- the Government introduced the Road Traffic Act 2024, addressing a number of key areas of road safety concerns, including in response to the concerns about increases in cases of drug-driving, the Act introduced mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions on the same basis as would happen with alcohol;

- the introduction of S.I. No. 199 of 2024, Road Traffic (Electric Scooters) Regulations 2024, which prescribe, amongst many requirements and prohibitions, that the minimum age to drive an e-scooter on a public road is 16 years of age and the maximum speed limit is 20km per hour, unless lower limits apply;

- the Government's current Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 follows international best practice and aligns with EU targets and the Vision Zero ambition for 2050, which is to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050 while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all;

- as an interim target, countries across the EU are aiming to halve road deaths and serious injuries this decade;

- there has been investment by Government and local authorities to improve safety on our roads, including Safe Routes to School, Community Involvement Scheme funding, low cost safety measures, traffic calming, pedestrian crossings, cycle lanes and the upgrading of substandard roads;

calls on the Government to:

- expedite the introduction of Grace’s Law on banning scramblers in public places;

- expedite new regulations for e-scooters;

- allow the public to upload dashcam footage of dangerous driving to a new Garda portal, making it easier to report incidents;

- introduce new road safety cameras to automatically detect mobile phone use and non-wearing of seat belts;

- continue to invest in road safety initiatives;

- continue to enforce existing road safety legislation;

- continue to invest in our road network, road improvement, traffic calming and safety initiatives;

- continue to invest in active travel schemes and safe cycling / pedestrian infrastructure;

- continue to invest in alternatives to car use including local link and public transport;

- examine mandatory awareness classes in secondary schools on the consequences of speeding and dangerous driving causing road fatalities, involving the Road Safety Authority, local authorities, Gardaí, fire brigade and the National Ambulance Service;

- look at driving lessons being promoted during transition year;

- examine the driving test to see that it is fit for purpose;

- continue to deter the use of mobile phones whilst driving, including by those driving tractors, and examine the possible introduction of phone blocking technologies in tractors;

- look at introducing a safe driving certificate for first time tractor drivers;

- amend the Road Safety Acts to provide for mandatory prison sentences for drivers who drive while disqualified; and

- examine the rollout of fixed speed cameras, particularly when entering built up areas.

I second the motion.

The Senators are sharing time and can divide it as they wish.

The Minister of State is welcome to the House this evening. On a day when there has been significant investment in road infrastructure right across the country, it is very welcome that a large element of it is low-cost safety measures that can make all of our towns, villages and communities safer. The motivation behind this Private Members' motion on behalf of Fine Gael Senators is the crisis we see on Irish roads at the moment. As the Minister of State will be aware, there were 185 fatalities in 2025, 76 being drivers, 41 pedestrians, 30 motorcyclists, 21 passengers, 14 pedal cyclists and three e-scooter users. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and we have had a series of sessions discussing and breaking down these very stark and sad statistics to try to air the different ideas and possibilities and hear from communities, advocates and various interest groups about how we can do more. The committee heard from motorcyclists last week and we will have representatives from the haulage associations in tomorrow to discuss road safety.

From my point of view, in County Mayo we sadly have had many tragedies. I would like to focus initially on the introduction of fixed speed cameras. I called for them for a long time for specific roads in the county where there are numerous junctions and accident blackspots. Since their introduction they have led to a marked improvement and reduced fatalities on stretches of roadway on the N17 and the N4. I would welcome the Minister of State's consideration of expanding them, based on calls from local authorities and different communities where there are blackspots. If there is an issue of funding or resources either within the Department or local authorities, consideration should be given to a privatised approach that can help to roll out these fixed speed cameras in conjunction with the local authorities and with the support of local councillors in each community. That could have a very positive effect on road safety and could expedite the roll-out of fixed speed cameras without taking up much-needed resources of a local authority or the Department.

We have seen great investment in public transport and that can also play a vital role in bringing people from roadways and more dangerous environments to safer modes of transport. As a regular commuter from Mayo to Dublin, I understand that in difficult driving conditions on congested and busy roads we see drivers are, anecdotally, much more distracted and have much lower attention levels. This is having a negative impact on driver habits. As I mentioned, the investment in and roll-out of substantial infrastructure on roadways can be part of the road safety solution.

The roll-out of low-cost safety measures in towns and communities is very important. It is something we just spoke about today with colleagues and that we have raised regularly. There is a finite need in certain towns for safety measures, whether that is pedestrian crossings and speed tables that can, in urban environments, reduce speeding and make them more pedestrian-friendly and safe. This has a public health benefit but it also has significant safety benefits for vulnerable road users. I ask that consideration be given to a transformational investment in certain towns and villages where councillors have identified a multitude of interventions that could make a significant difference to road safety in their town or village. That could be done in a way that is identified through one piece of work and then realised through a second piece of work, rather than having the regular over and back between a local authority applying to a Department and it being either funded or declined and then waiting year after year for much-needed investment in infrastructure in communities.

We also spoke recently about the Love 30 campaign. The work of local authorities is under way to reduce speed limits in urban centres and that can be profoundly positive in improving safety. Road safety is down to the autonomy of motorists but we need to do more in strengthening the regulations and their enforcement. The Love 30 campaign has led to significant improvements in road safety in countries right across Europe where it has been introduced. I raised an issue on the floor this afternoon about Culleens National School in my home town of Ballina and made the point that, for example, State investment in a national school is very welcome from a Department of education point of view but a joined-up approach and thinking in terms of ensuring a school is also safely accessible by walking and cycling infrastructure should be part of any future investments. In this instance, since the school opened, for the past year it has been campaigning and advocating for the basic intervention of a footpath and a reduced speed limit outside the school. These are basic requests and I do not think requests like this need to go to ministerial level in order to get basic interventions that could be done at local authority level. We have engineers. Can we have more devolved decision making for low-cost safety interventions at local authority level without centralising every single element of road investment, as it is currently? More devolved investment through local authorities would be much welcomed.

I thank the Minister of State for his time and for his work on road safety. I know it is something he holds very dear and that he is working sincerely to improve outcomes and safety for all of our citizens - motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and every road user.

This evening is a very good opportunity to discuss that and identify what we can do to help drastically reduce the fatalities on our roads to make our roads, footpaths and cycleways safer for all our citizens.

The Minister of State is welcome. I acknowledge the Government's swift decision in relation to a decision to enact legislation to ban the use of scramblers in public places in memory of Grace Lynch. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Grace's family, to her mother, Siobhán, and her siblings for their tragic loss. The Minister of State might be able to fill us in regarding what the timeline on that might be. I also acknowledge the roads funding announced today. It not just a case of people perhaps getting from A to B faster if a motorway is built but it is also a safer drive than it would be on a traditional national road. Similarly, a realignment of an existing national road will improve sight lines and overtaking opportunities. It is increasing the safety and drivability of that road for all road users, whether it be for car users, cyclists or motorcyclists. For everybody, it is a safer driving experience.

In relation to this Private Members' motion, I wish to highlight a couple of things, one being safety belts. Based on the statistics from the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and causal observing, the vast majority - over 95% - of people who are driving are wearing a safety belt. Generally, there has been a huge improvement in the past number of decades in relation to rear passenger users wearing safety belts. Yet the statistics show quite clearly from the RSA that in 2021 a quarter of drivers and passengers killed in road traffic collisions were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. That is not to say that 25% of people were not wearing a safety belt. It means that 25% of people who died were not wearing a safety belt, despite the fact that seatbelt wearing is at a very high rate with over 97%. Those are stark statistics in relation to the benefits of wearing safety belts.

E-scooters have been mentioned. There have been comprehensive regulations passed on e-scooters recently. A statement from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland stated that "e-scooter accidents are now the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries ... in children admitted to the paediatric neurosurgical centre at Children’s Health Ireland, Temple Street". Again, that is something that is absolutely frightening. It should be frightening to all parents. People whiz around on e-scooters. There are regulations but are they being enforced? Are they being managed with people? Are people aware of the regulations? The fact that there are youngsters who are enjoying themselves in many cases on e-scooters and who end up having a traumatic brain injury is a very worrying thing indeed.

I welcome the roads funding announced today. We have seen over the past number of years measures such as safe routes to schools, active travel initiatives and a myriad of different types of funding that will slow down traffic, such as traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings. They are all very important. There is an opportunity now that I ask the Minister of State to explore. For example, in an area like Connemara, funding has been approved for a pedestrian crossing at Clifden on the national road. We also need them in Letterfrack and Roundstone, where I was at a meeting last night, as well as in Cornamona, Clonbur and Killannin. It is a very busy section, with a 50 km/h zone, a school at one side and an estate on the other. Again, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has to come on board in relation to moving forward initiatives like this. They are relatively low cost but are major safety improvements for a locality. Whether it is the flashing lights or a low size speed cushion or a zebra crossing, all those things can slow down traffic as well as general traffic calming measures.

I encourage the Minister of State to look proactively at some of those initiatives and engage with TII to see if it can push forward on these. There is a reluctance in some cases for it to engage in relation to pedestrian crossings on national routes. That is the feedback that I get. The majority of the places that I mentioned are national routes. Some are regional as well like Roundstone. Again, we could do more. I am sure it is the same in the Minister of State's half of the county and in other counties and cities across the country. I ask him to look at that as well.

Another point that I have not raised in the motion, but it is important, is that I have come across houses when I am knocking on doors or between elections that one would be scared to come out of in a car. I do not know how the owners come out of those houses. They are invariably pre-1963 houses. There was never planning. They just lived in them. I will paint a picture of one that I came to on the N59 near Oughterard. An old couple in their 70s came out and I could not see left or right. I got out of the car, ran out and looked at left and right to see could I see anything coming and then took a chance. God help us if there was a lad coming at 120 km/h, which they should not be, but there was going to be trouble. I do not know how they get out of houses. If there was any way of assistance being provided for houses and homeowners like that who may not have the wherewithal to make a safer exit from their own property, I ask the Minister of State to look into that. It would be a worthy investment in localities. Those are our national routes, but they could also be on regional or county roads as well. If the Department pinpointed a number of houses in a county where it could improve safety, it would be a worthy investment as well.

Again, it is not all about roads. It is also about providing the alternatives to people who do not need to use cars, particularly for older people. Hence the importance of the rural link, Local Link, regular bus services and investment in bus shelters to make the transport and bus journey more attractive. Those are initiatives that could assist. In relation to technologies, people speed for a variety of reasons. It is mainly because they probably think they will not get caught. If there were initiatives and there are new technologies in relation to slowing people down, if they knew they were going to get caught at something, they are less likely to do it. Whether it is texting on a mobile phone, going at excessive speeds, drink driving and drug driving, they are all initiatives. However, if a driver does not think he or she will be caught, they can continue them. If they think they will get caught, they are more likely not to do those things.

Tacaím leis an rún atá ardaithe ag Fine Gael. Rinne siad sárjab an t-ábhar seo a chur os ár gcomhair sa Teach seo anocht. Many years ago, I remember watching a little road safety cartoon in the classroom. It lasted four or five minutes. I remember showing it to a third and fourth class on an old projector. Those things have long since disappeared. It involved two characters. One was Mr. Walker, who was a very benign lovely old gentleman. He walked along the streets, picked daisies, patted dogs and spoke to the neighbours. As he went down the street, he found his car parked. He opened the door and looked around very cautiously then sat into the driver's seat and started up the engine. The camera panned in on his face. His face transformed from the Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. He became toothed and angry. This monstrous face sat behind windscreen. The voice-over said that Mr. Walker has now become Mr. Wheeler. With that, he took off at breakneck speed, throwing old grannies to one side and going down the street. I tell the House this story because I wish to make an emphasis on the whole business of driver behaviour, which is at the root of a lot of the problems we have in this country with road safety.

This is like teaching your granny to suck eggs, because everybody in this Chamber probably drives and is probably on the road many days each week. Senators know full well that the vast majority of drivers are benign in their impact. They respect the law and move from one place to another without undue hassle or fuss. However, there is a small minority of people who have no concept of what constitutes benign or co-operative road behaviour. They will take any chance that presents itself and break any regulation in order to plough ahead, thereby putting everybody else on the road in a position of discomfort or danger.

In the main, we task the Garda Síochána to enforce the laws we have and to address bad driver behaviour. Coming up here this morning, I used the M7 and M9 and I drove at or marginally below the 120 km/h speed limit. On three occasions, I was overtaken at high speed by a BMW, a Porche and an SUV, respectively. Of course, SUVs are sometimes referred to as Chelsea tractors. I knew from looking in my rear-view mirror that these cars were approaching from behind at ridiculous speeds. I would not hazard a guess at what speeds they were doing, but they flashed passed. As they did, the one common thing about them was that they all had yellow rear numberplates, which suggests that they are either from GB or Northern Ireland. Is there any a reciprocal possibility of enforcing our speed limits or driving legislation in the context of the people who drive these vehicles? Are they simply immune because they are from another jurisdiction and are driving in this State?

The next thing I want to talk about is average speed cameras that are becoming more widely used in this State. I do not want to refer to specific instances, but we all know the areas of the country where fatalities and road accidents are more likely to occur. They tend to be near the Border. There may be a historical reason for that. When we are investing in speed cameras, should we put them into the areas where the most obvious incidents relating to speeding and bad driver behaviour occur?

When I was a relatively young driver, it was not unusual for my mates to boast in the pub that they had driven home with eight or ten pints on board. In my recollection, that did happen. The fact of the matter is that by introducing the relevant legislation, we have almost eradicated drunk-driving or driving under the influence of excess alcohol. The same could be done in the context of speeding. We have a ridiculously low penalty of three points for people who are convicted of driving over the speed limit. The statistics, as best as we can interpret them, indicated that one in three people who get three points go on to get more points. My contention would be that in the context of a first conviction for speeding or using a mobile phone, it is time the number of points was increased to six. After that, I am of the view that we would see an obvious change in driver behaviour. It is like the smoking ban or the ban on smoky coal that Mary Harney brought in. These were unpopular measures. The Government will have to have the cojones to address this matter, because there will be a lot of blowback from people who do not like things being regulated.

There are some difficult choices ahead for the Government in the context of road safety. We had a 31% increase in the number of road deaths in the past year. I hope the Government has the cojones to tackle the issue of road safety.

I very much welcome the Minister of State, particularly in view of the announcements relating to roads funding that have come our way. It was good to see those announcements being made. I very much welcome the debate on this matter being brought to the floor of the House by my Fine Gael colleagues. I very much support, as do my Fianna Fáil colleagues, every aspect of the motion.

There are a number of ways of looking at road safety and how to counter all the difficulties we have with road deaths. I disagree with Senator Joe Conway and his ideas in this regard. I acknowledge, however, that nobody has all the answers. In the past year or two, there was been more traffic on the roads than ever before. A big part of the reason for that is the fact that we have full employment. More people are working, more people are on the move and more people are car owners. The answer is not always to increase the number of penalty points or take measures against drivers. The reality is that when there are more cars on the roads. it takes longer to get places. For example, it is more difficult for family members to get to work and to get their children to school and transport them from A to B in the evenings to participate in various activities. The reality is that people have to spend more time in their cars. That is something the Government and the Minister of State have to take into consideration. One of the best means of alleviating the volume of traffic on the roads would be by means of the delivery of more rail services. I call on the Minister of State and the Government to roll out expenditure in respect of the all-island rail programme on a timed basis. That would have a greater impact in reducing the number of road deaths than taking more cars off the roads because it would give workers an alternative.

That is not say that other alternatives are not needed when it comes to our roads. Road safety is a key priority for Fianna Fáil. Our approach is about saving lives and preventing serious injuries for all road users. The starting point lies in recognising that road deaths and injuries should not be the price to pay for mobility. The current road safety strategy aims to achieve a 50% reduction in the number of serious injuries and fatalities on roads by 2030 and reach vision zero, which means zero deaths and injuries, on our roads by 2050.

Following the tragic death that was alluded to earlier, namely the untimely death of Grace Lynch on 25 January - the Minister met Grace's family very recently - our focus is rightly on scramblers. We owe it to Grace, her family and her friends to introduce regulations to further restrict the inappropriate use of scramblers in public places as a matter of urgency. An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has made it clear that there is no need for scramblers on public roads and that they should not be on public roads. Regulations are being prepared to explicitly prohibit the use of scramblers in any place where the public might be present and to make the mere use of scramblers in these prescribed locations an offence. These regulations will be made as a matter of urgency. The process is expected to conclude in a matter of weeks. As an immediate measure, it is proposed to amend regulations to increase the fees that accrue in respect of a seized vehicle each day in order to reduce the number of scramblers ending up back on the roads. We call on all scrambler users to obey the laws that are designed to ensure the safety of everyone. We ask family members to speak with those in their lives who might ride scramblers illegally and talk sense to them.

There are a number of other things that we could do. E-scooters and scooters generally have very much become a factor in our lives, particularly in towns. We need to introduce a range of regulations and measures with regard to the use of scooters. Surgeons have highlighted that scooters are one of the biggest causes of brain injury. We need to take a serious look at that in terms of the current Act.

As the Senator from Mayo, Senator Mark Duffy, just said, we should have more devolved funding to local authorities. I agree with Senator Duffy on that. Ireland currently has much more centralised funding per capita than any other member state in the EU. This is a great opportunity to give extra funds to local authorities. They know where the accident black spots are. Councillors are well aware of where they are. They prioritise them month in and month out, raising motions and asking questions. Small moneys can go a long way to reduce the number of accidents and deaths. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and I commend it to the House.

I welcome the opportunity to come to the Seanad to discuss the issue of road safety. The Government is not opposing this motion. I assure Senators that road safety is a priority for this Government.

In 1998, implementation of the first national road safety strategy began. Over the course of that strategy and its successors, we witnessed a remarkable improvement in road safety on our roads. From 472 road deaths in 1997, we reduced that figure to 133 by 2021, the lowest level since records began in 1959. More recent trends are less positive and the gains we made are beginning to slip. Last year saw an increase in road deaths, with 188 fatalities on our roads. Road traffic collisions can also result in devastating and life-altering serious injuries. For every fatality, there are eight serious injuries. We must do better and we must see a return to the progress we have seen previously.

I will now outline some of the works that are under way in this regard. On the issue of scramblers, following the tragic death of Grace Lynch on 25 January, we are introducing regulations to further prohibit the use of scramblers and strengthen existing Garda enforcement powers in relation to the dangerous use of scramblers, including vehicle seizure. Under the Road Traffic Act 1961, a mechanically propelled vehicle can only be legally used in public places if it is registered, taxed, insured, roadworthy and has a registration plate. The driver must hold the relevant driving licence. Most scramblers are designed for off-road use only and do not meet these requirements. Their use on the roads is illegal.

To further strengthen the legal position and help to tackle dangerous and antisocial use of scramblers, the Road Traffic Act 2020 introduced three new provisions. It is now an offence to drive dangerously in any location, not just in public places. An Garda Síochána has the power to seize vehicles being driven dangerously. The Minister for Transport can make regulations to restrict certain vehicles or classes of vehicles in particular locations. These provisions all commenced in 2023 and constitute a comprehensive legislative response to the dangerous use of off-road scramblers. It must be emphasised that using these vehicles on our roads is already illegal. Parents or retailers who supply a minor with a mechanically propelled vehicle are also guilty of an offence under section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 2004. New regulations will help to bring clarity and additional powers for An Garda Síochána. It is expected that these regulations will be in place within weeks. Today, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, Deputy Paul McAuliffe and I met with the parents of Grace. It was a private meeting but we discussed the regulation, implementation of which is imminent.

Phase 2 of the action plan of the current ten-year Government road safety strategy was published last July. The action plan runs to the end of 2027 and contains 12 primary and 77 support actions, with the potential to deliver truly transformative change. Some key actions include, as Senators have mentioned, investing significantly in new and improved active travel and public transport; expanding network safety analysis of the road network to identify high-risk locations, guide investment decisions and prioritise safety interventions; implementing the 2023 speed limit review; and overhauling the learning to drive curriculum. In relation to tractors, the Road Safety Authority is considering the introduction of a training programme and driving test for new category W learner permit applicants. This is being done as part of the overall review of the learning to drive curriculum.

In addition, we are looking to build North-South co-operation on road safety through a new work programme agreed under the North-South Ministerial Council during 2025. I will meet with my counterpart, the Minister for Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins, in Belfast tomorrow. A number of official high-level engagements took place in 2025. I understand that papers in respect of speed limits and safety cameras will be exchanged in the near future, helping each jurisdiction to learn from the experience of the other.

The speed limit review published in 2023 is a key action for phase 2. The first of the recommendations came into effect on 7 February 2025 when the default speed limit on local roads decreased from 80 km/h to 60 km/h. This impacted approximately 83,000 km of our 102,000 km road network, or 80% of our roads. With respect to urban areas, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, issued a direction to local authorities on 16 October requesting that they implement built-up and urban speed limit by-laws not later than 31 March next year. This includes the introduction of a 30 km/h speed limit, where appropriate. The national vehicle and driver file Bill, which I will discuss in more detail shortly, includes a provision to allow for the next phase, which will be the changing of the default limit on national secondary roads from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.

Another issue mentioned was the national safety camera strategy. The increased deployment of safety cameras in the coming years is a programme for Government commitment. Work on the first national safety camera strategy is at an advanced stage. The strategy will initially focus on speeding, red light running and bus lane infringements, with flexibility for the enforcement of other types of offence in future. It should be noted that camera enforcement has been increasing. Approximately 9,000 hours of Go Safe monitoring is now being carried out each month. Since late 2024, An Garda Síochána has introduced three additional average speed camera zones with nine static camera locations.

An Garda Síochána continues to play a key role in road safety, with the implementation of 30 minutes of high-visibility road policing on Garda shifts since 2024. Important new enforcement powers have been given to An Garda Síochána in recent years. Since May 2024, mandatory drug testing now takes place at the scene of serious collisions on the same basis as alcohol. Since November 2023, the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland has been providing insurance details to An Garda Síochána. Details of 3 million vehicles, or 5 million drivers, are provided daily to identify vehicles being driven without insurance. We note that figures yesterday showed that nearly 20,000 cars were seized from people last year and 18,000 the previous year, which was an increase from 11,000 in 2023.

I note the motion refers to allowing members of the public to upload dash-cam footage to a Garda patrol. This again is a programme for Government commitment. Pending the launch of this portal, the public can hand over video evidence to a member of An Garda Síochána for certain incidents that do not require an immediate Garda response. This is managed via the traffic watch online reporting page.

Increasing the numbers of road policing units is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána, although I understand the intention is that numbers will be increased over time. We are progressing a significant legislative programme. The national vehicle and driver file Bill is a priority for the current legislative term and is targeted for enactment before the summer recess. Among its measures, the Bill will provide a clear legislative basis for local authorities to directly receive and process road collision data; abolish the requirement to display a motor tax disc as part of the wider paperless windscreen project; allow a jury to consider a charge of careless driving, under direction from a judge, in respect of dangerous driving, addressing a gap identified in Judge Haughton's report into the death of the late Shane O'Farrell; provide legislative clarity on the application of penalty points in multiple offence incidents, ensuring drivers committing more than one offence in a single incident will receive multiple sets of penalty points.

Officials are also progressing the next road traffic Bill to take forward programme for Government commitments. A general scheme will be presented to Government in the coming months. This will include proposals for a graduated speeding penalty system and camera enforcement of seat belt and mobile phone offences.

Road safety continues to be supported through the improvement of infrastructure and services. In 2025, approximately €600 million in Exchequer capital funding was allocated to local authorities through TII for national roads. This included funding for measures to maintain and improve the existing network. An additional €33 million in current funding was provided for regular maintenance activities. A further €713 million was allocated to regional and local roads in 2025, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works.

Senator Joe Conway has left but education and public awareness campaigns are also key to promoting safer behaviours on our roads. This year, as in 2025, the RSA has ring-fenced €18 million for these activities. It has developed significant road safety educational programmes for all age groups and will be expanding this offering during phase 2 of the road safety strategy. In the audiovisual room last week or the week before, it gave a presentation to Oireachtas Members about what it was doing. A particular recent success has been the road safety matters transition year programme. This programme was piloted during the 2024-25 academic year and exceeded expectations, with the RSA delivering training to teachers from almost 140 schools nationwide, representing 12,700 students. In 2026, the RSA aims to complete a national roll-out to all 730 post-primary schools that offer transition year.

Recent tragedies have reinforced the importance of a nationwide behavioural shift in respect of road safety. We must make better choices on the road. Every death is one too many. Work is progressing to deliver on our road safety targets but much still needs to be done to protect lives on our roads.

A number of issues were raised, including devolving money to local authorities. All of the safety schemes funded under today's announcement came to the Department from local authorities. They were all from local people and groups. Residents' groups and politicians made representations to the local authorities and these made their way up to the Department before funding came back down again. That is happening at the moment.

There is increased traffic on our roads. There are 741,000 more people living in the country than there were in 2014. Regarding e-scooters, I was down in Limerick - I do not know if anybody here is from Limerick - and my eye was caught by an e-scooter that was for sale in a shop. I went in to have a look but I was not looking around too well. I put up my head and looked around and there were buggies, prams and little scooters for children to scoot around on. These e-scooters were at the front door of a baby shop. They were targeted at parents. I read the specifications on one of them and it said the maximum speed was 50 km/h and the maximum range was over 100 km. There was not one iota about restrictions for those under 16 or wearing a helmet. There was nothing about safety. The most striking thing was that these were being targeted at the parents of children. We have a body of work to do there yet.

I recently said that, as far as I am concerned, nothing is off the table as regards how we are going to deal with road safety. I had a meeting with the leaders' group on the road safety strategy today. We are looking at the camera technology strategy, which we hope to have completed in the next couple of weeks. We are serious about this. I think everybody is. It is important to say to everybody that road safety has to be an item on the agenda no matter where you are. If you are involved in a GAA club, another sports club or a community council and there is an agenda for a meeting, the last thing should always be telling everyone to drive safely when going home. It is only a small thing to say, but when I was first involved in the construction industry, safety was not a big issue. It was never an item on the agenda. Today, you will not get a foot onto a building site without protective clothing, being inducted as to what is happening on the site, having a safe pass and so on. You will not be allowed to drive a machine without a ticket. When I started in the construction industry, there was nothing like that. If you had a helmet, you used it to carry nails up the scaffolding. That has changed because the agenda changed. Health and safety became an agenda item. Road safety has to be made an agenda item as well.

I thank the Senators for listening. I will continue to listen.

I move amendment No. 1:

To insert the following paragraph under “notes that:”

“- the number of Gardaí assigned to Roads Policing / Traffic Corps duties has fallen sharply over recent years;”

I second the amendment.

I welcome this evening's discussion on road safety. It is a very important issue. It is not just an abstract policy. It is something that touches every family, every parish and every community in this country. Nowhere is that truer than in rural Ireland. For decades, we have made real progress. Since the first road safety strategy was published, the number of fatalities on our roads has fallen steadily, reaching its lowest point in 2021. That progress did not happen by accident. It happened because of sustained investment, better infrastructure, safer vehicles, education and, crucially, visible enforcement.

However, in recent years, that progress has begun to reverse. Three of the last four years have seen an increase in road deaths and serious injuries. Behind every statistic is a human being - a neighbour, a friend, a son or a daughter who never made it home. In a rural area, the impact of a single fatality can ripple through an entire community.

Rural roads are different. They are narrower, less forgiving and often poorly lit. They carry a mix of fast-moving traffic, agricultural vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and now e-scooters yet rural roads are too often policed as if they were urban streets or, what is worse, they are not policed at all. The data is stark. According to the RSA, between 85% and 88% of road fatalities occur on rural roads. Even more striking is the fact that approximately 73% of serious injuries also occur on rural roads. These are not marginal differences. They tell us clearly where the greatest risk lies.

Many people in rural Ireland will tell you the same thing. They can drive on rural roads for days, weeks and often months without seeing a Garda checkpoint or patrol car. That absence is noticed and, unfortunately, it changes behaviour. That is why enforcement matters. This motion rightly highlights speeding, distraction, intoxicated driving and failure to wear seat belts as the main causes of road deaths but laws on paper do not save lives unless people believe they will be enforced.

This brings me to the central failing that we must address, namely, the collapse in Garda roads policing numbers. At their peak, there were over 1,000 gardaí dedicated to roads policing. Today, that figure has fallen by roughly 40%. This reduction has not happened because our roads have become safer or quieter. In fact, rural roads remain the most dangerous places to travel in this State. This issue has been raised repeatedly, including by my colleague Deputy Matt Carthy, who has warned that recruitment and retention failures within An Garda Síochána are directly undermining front-line policing capacity, including roads policing. That warning should concern each and every one of us here.

The consequences are particularly stark in rural areas. A single Garda unit may be covering a vast geographic area, responding not only to traffic incidents, but to all policing demands in the area. That means fewer checkpoints, less visibility and slower responses when gardaí need to get to the site of a collision.

This motion makes many sensible calls. It calls for safer speed limits, better infrastructure and education in our schools. However, all of these must be backed by a renewed commitment to roads policing. That means a clear time-bound plan to restore and expand Garda roads policing numbers with dedicated resources, modern equipment and a focus on deployment in rural areas, not just urban centres. It also means recognising the reality of rural life. For many people, a car is not a choice but a necessity. Public transport alternatives are limited. A lot of the time, they are non-existent. This places an even greater responsibility on the State to ensure rural roads are safe, well maintained and policed. I also stress that this is not about punishment for its own sake. High-visibility policing is one of the most effective deterrents we have. It changes behaviour before the tragedy ever occurs.

It reassures communities and supports the vast majority of road users that rightly do the right thing every day. We owe it to the families who have suffered. We owe it to the emergency services who have to respond to these fatalities in the aftermath.

It is a good Bill. We have covered it in the transport committee for the last couple of weeks and we will be for the next couple of weeks. It affects everyone, whether one is a vehicle user, a pedestrian or a cyclist. Road safety has to be the bottom line of every single meeting and every agenda that we ever do. We can get it down. We just need to get the right measures in place. We need to get the road policing back up. We do need that deterrent. I know, as well as everybody in this room, if you thought you had the run of the road and you are never going to get caught or there will never be a checkpoint, you are going to pick the phone up if you really need to. You are going to go that few miles ahead of the speed limit to get somewhere faster. It is the deterrent that there is a possibility of getting those penalty points or fine. We need to have that deterrent, not just as a punishment but to get people back in line and to show that there is a reason that we have speed limits and why we wear seatbelts. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as seatbelts. You could put five or six into the back seat of the car and go wherever you wanted. Nothing was ever said. We have come such a huge way when it comes to road safety that we just need to make sure that it is enforced where is needs to be enforced.

The consequences of road deaths are felt in the silence at the kitchen tables, where an empty chair shows the space where a loved one once sat, in a school desk which now sits empty, in communities that are gathering far too often for funerals instead of celebrations. Every death on our road sends shock waves far beyond the collision itself, leaving families, friends, colleagues and entire towns grappling with sudden and unimaginable loss. Over recent decades, improvements have been made. Road safety has been on the agenda for many decades but at some point it fell off. It is really worrying to see that over the last few years we have seen a sharp rise in the deaths on roads.

In Carlow, over the past three years, we have experienced nearly as many fatalities due to traffic incidences as the six years before the pandemic. The numbers in Kilkenny are very similar. Behind all of these numbers are lives and families that have been destroyed and utterly shattered. It is seriously concerning that we are seeing an increase in the number of needless road deaths. We did so well. We made so many improvements and it feels like we are going back to a darker time. Something has to be done to stop this trend. I welcome the action that was taken regarding the N80 in Carlow, which has tragically led to the deaths of five people and two crashes over the last two years. I would also like to know what plans are in place for Yellowford Cross Roads and the N81, which has a high accident rate in Carlow. The N78 going through Castlecomer is another dangerous road. In particular, the N24 in south Kilkenny near Glenmore, is an incredibly dangerous stretch of road. It is one of the worst roads in the country, yet funding for improvements on that road has still been delayed and stalled in the last NDP round.

I am sure we were all shocked by the headlines of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety report showing how often the same people are being arrested again and again for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In a 12-month period, 260 people were arrested at least twice, with some being arrested up to ten times. This would also point that the current measures to stop people drinking and driving are not working. We need to see additional measures to reduce dangerous driving. Last year we had the Crowe report, which showed that gardaí tasked with policing the roads were not carrying out their duties. There was a reluctance to carry out their duties around safety and road policing. That needs to change. We need more gardaí policing bad driving and higher penalties for repeat offenders because the current system simply is not working.

I think it was mentioned by another Senator that the easiest way to make sure the roads are safer is to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. We need to see major public transport upgrades in order that people are getting out of their cars, which are statistically much more dangerous than being in trains and being on buses. With that in mind, it is disappointing that the NTA has pushed back to 2027 a review that was meant to have been done in 2025, which looked at the possibility of adding more bus stops in Carlow. If we are not doing those reviews and putting more public transport in place for people, they will be in their cars and there will be an increase of accidents on the roads.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am going to talk briefly about the hierarchy of vulnerable road users. I welcome the debate today. It is great to have it. I welcome the Minister of State here. I am also a member of the transport committee. We have been discussing road safety over the last couple of weeks. We are getting an insight into more vulnerable road users in particular. That is what I am going to talk about. Vulnerable road users are simultaneously the least likely to cause other road users harm and the most likely to suffer harm themselves. I will talk about systems that are put in place. These are recommendations that have come from cyclists, people we have heard from on the committee, and motorcyclists. It is continuing on. The witnesses that are appearing before us are really informed and are giving us a good idea of protections for them as vulnerable road users.

The safe systems approach to road safety shifts responsibility from maintaining his or her own safety away from exclusively the individual user to the system that designs and constructs the roads. I know this has come up as part of the motion. This can be especially but not exclusively relevant in urban areas and village centres, where the proportion of pedestrians and cyclists can be higher. It makes most sense to protect the most vulnerable where they are the most prevalent. There are seven key priority areas, four of which are particularly relevant to vulnerable road users. These are safe roads and roadsides and working with the local authorities. I am glad that the Sinn Féin amendment that I support about sharing information around collisions has been accepted in order that the design teams within the local authorities are able to adapt accordingly.

I raise safe speeds and the Love 30 campaign. I was disappointed to hear that it is not in the Minister of State's gift any more to implement the limit within local authorities, that it is going to be a by-law within local authorities to implement the Love 30 campaign. At one stage, I thought it was in the Minister of State's gift, that he would be able to implement this safety measure. It has been proven that if a car user is going at 30 km/h and hits a pedestrian, one in ten pedestrians will die. If it is 50 km/h, five in ten pedestrians or cyclists will die. If it is 60 km/h, it is nine in ten. They are stark. The Love 30 campaign is a campaign that might be worth examining again to keep it in the Minister of State's gift rather than by-laws for local authorities because as the Minister of State is aware himself, some local authorities will do it and some will not.

Another one is safe road use. I know we have come a long way on this. It is about education and training. I was particularly struck by motorcyclists at the last Oireachtas committee meeting. Motorcyclists are very good drivers. They made very good suggestions that motorways could be part of the driving test. They can see big collisions where people are completely blinded to motorcyclists, particularly on motorways. I have suggestions from them. I know a report will be coming out from that, but these are suggestions from them. It was said nach bhfuil aon rud as an áireamh - that nothing is off the table. Would it be a possibility that there might be a possibility of a single ombudsman for road safety, who could co-ordinate safety improvements and improve the performance of the RSA? That might be a good place to start. The RSA's brief is massive between NCTs and driver's licences. If something else was looking at road safety in particular, it might be an idea.

I welcome the Minister of State. Tonight, our support has to go on the motion brought forward by my colleagues. Everyone fully supports this. The two biggest safety issues going on in the country right now are road safety and online safety for our children. In the term of this Government, we must come down hard on offenders that are causing distress to people online and using our roads. Because of the safety on our roads, our communities and every person who uses them demand urgent, practical and sustained action. We must accelerate the introduction of Grace's law to ban scramblers and similar vehicles in public spaces. Every Member of this House has seen the consequences recently in the intimidation in our public parks, injuries, and, unfortunately, the fatality of Grace. Communities are living under constant disruption. At the same time, we need a comprehensive review of the e-scooter regulations that have been mentioned, particularly the minimum age and maximum speeds. Events like a 13-year-old being caught with an e-scooter that can do 55 km/h without a helmet have to stop.

A 14-year-old buying an e-scooter without the proper ID has to stop.

A bugbear of mine is our driving test. It genuinely is not fit for purpose. A learner driver could currently pass a test after performing a three-point turn in a quiet housing estate in the middle of an afternoon during a driving test. That does not prepare anyone for real-world driving. We still prohibit learners from motorways yet expect them to use these the moment they pass. It is crazy stuff. We still do not require night-time driving experience, despite the very difficult and different challenges it presents. A modern driving test must reflect modern driving realities, especially the dangers that are out there.

We need a national road safety campaign that speaks plainly about where the real dangers lie on our local, regional and national roads. This has been said and I will quickly say it. I drive from north Kerry up here. I get on a local road, a regional road, a national road, and I get on the motorway and get it back into the city. I have seen it all in the last 12 months, including the recklessness of some motorists. They just do not care. Transport Infrastructure Ireland's collision rate analysis constantly shows that local roads record the highest collision rate due to narrow widths, faded road markings and sight-lines. I welcome the funding today. I hope it goes to these specific roads I mentioned because of the sight-lines and that. Even the RSA states that for every one fatality, there are ten serious injuries. Out of 190 fatalities, there are 1,900 serious injuries. Families are getting destroyed.

On what Senator Collins said, there was an incident last night in Abbeyfeale, just over the border from me, at 8 p.m., where a car turned upside down going down the street in Abbeyfeale. That was at 8 o'clock in the evening. The car was not travelling at 10 km/h or 15 km/h; it was travelling at high speed through a town. As councillors, one thing we always looked for was speed ramps - I could go on and on - entering every village and town. If a speed ramp was on the verge of that speed limit sign coming into that town, that would not have happened last night and it probably would have prevented a fatality. That person is in hospital.

I could go on. I really welcome what the Government is doing, but it has to be a huge priority to get it all right.

I thank the Minister of State once again. When it comes to road safety, I always try to mention the safe routes to school scheme and the large number of primary schools applying for that particular scheme. I think of places such as Trien and Lisacul in Roscommon, to name two, where there are main roads in front of the schools and vehicles speeding by at high speed, but they are not even being considered for that particular programme, never mind having applied for it.

Vehicles have become an awful lot safer in recent years. Of last year's road deaths, 41, or 22%, were pedestrians, 14 were people killed on pedal bikes - that is 8% of those who lost their lives - and three were people on e-scooters. The focus has to switch to awareness. There is an education element there. That is why we have included in this motion examining mandatory awareness classes in secondary schools on the consequences of speeding, and dangerous driving causing road fatalities, involving the Road Safety Authority, local authorities, gardaí, fire brigades and the National Ambulance Service, as well as looking at driving lessons being promoted during transition year. I have to acknowledge that the RSA has such a programme. It is the RSA road safety matters programme, which has ten modules, including speeding awareness, drugs and alcohol awareness, distraction awareness for students, the need for safety belts and vulnerable road users. It also gives students the experience of using drunk goggles and drug goggles. That is very important in empowering and making these students aware of the consequences of the decisions they make.

The Minister of State said nothing is off the table. There was an initiative in the past where a driving instructor was able to provide lessons to transition year students. They paid a certain amount for this but got a voucher when they paid. Once they completed the training, they got that voucher off the price of their first driving lesson. It was a great way of bringing those students on and empowering them in the schools. If nothing is off the table, I would love the Minister of State to consider a pilot like that for a county like Roscommon, as I am sure everyone else would. Senator Kennelly used up my time but he did not get to ask for that particular element of it.

There was a great announcement today of €1.5 billion for roads. We must welcome that but when we look at it, we are talking about €14 million of that for 280 low-cost road safety projects. That is a very small spend in the grand scheme of what we are delivering. It is definitely something we need to look at. I welcome the investment in our roads but we need to improve a lot of the rural and local roads. We definitely need to look again at the safe routes to school scheme to make the safety initiatives better and more accessible outside our schools.

I am sharing time with Senator Nelson Murray.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I thank the Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer, for coming to discuss this all-important issue. I pay a compliment to my colleagues, Senators Seán Kyne and Mark Duffy, and everybody else who was involved in putting together this motion in the name of the Fine Gael Senators.

I noted that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, highlighted scramblers and talked about seeing e-scooters for sale in a shop in Limerick alongside children's goods and prams. It is certainly not the first time I have seen that, but I agree with him that people do not realise the speed limit is 20 km/h and the fact that the highest number of brain injuries being acquired now is from the use of e-scooters. What frightens me is the fact of seeing a parent with a child sharing one scooter. In many cases, they do not have helmets. That is really frightening and is something that needs to be clamped down on. While the Garda is doing its best to clamp down on it, we need to bring in tight regulations to sort this out.

I believe in encouraging young people who are in transition year to do their driving theory test. That is happening in a lot of schools but it needs to happen in more. Perhaps it should be compulsory in all schools. The fact there are two to four deaths a year from scooters is a high statistic. So many children are ending up in hospital as a result of the use of scooters.

On scramblers, I compliment gardaí in Limerick, especially in Henry Street, who have been running a programme to clamp down on the use of scramblers in public places and are actually confiscating scramblers. Unfortunately, the following day, people have scramblers back in use again. There needs to be tight legislation around that whole side of things.

I remember Áine O'Reilly who was killed in a horrific accident over the weekend in Boher, County Limerick, and whose removal is tonight. I think of her and her family because it is a very sad situation. She was on her way to work.

There are so many issues around this. We need to bring in really tight legislation. The last thing I will highlight - I am aware of my time - is the use of mobile phones and the fact that people are not wearing safety belts. That is something that needs to be clamped down on an awful lot.

In November, I was invited by the Rotary Club of Navan to attend the Just 1 Life event, an event I know the Minister of State will go to, which is a powerful young driver awareness programme. Approximately 350 students filled the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan. The event featured deeply impactful presentations from An Garda Síochána, a roads policing sergeant, Dr. Ahmad Jamal, an on-call consultant at Our Lady's Hospital Navan and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, alongside a critical care nurse, ambulance call centre staff, members of the fire and rescue service and families who have experienced devastating loss caused by road traffic accidents. Nothing was softened. Nothing was held back. You could have heard a pin drop in that room.

The silence spoke volumes about the shock, reflection and genuine desire among those students to understand the consequences of dangerous driving. The Rotary Club of Navan has delivered that programme to more than 3,000 students. It is extraordinary work, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Meath County Council has supported the Rotary Club of Navan in that initiative but, sitting there last November, I could not help but think this surely is something that should be embedded in every school across the country, as my colleague Senator Scahill said. If we are serious about achieving zero deaths on our roads, we must begin with our young people.

Some of the statistics shared this evening are truly shocking. A total of 25% of people arriving in emergency departments with severe injuries from a road accident were not wearing a seatbelt. Of all road fatalities in Ireland, 27% involved individuals not wearing seatbelts. A total of 17% of people admit to not wearing a seatbelt in the back seat. Beyond seatbelts, we must confront the broader challenges. Speed continues to be a factor in too many collisions. Mobile phone use while behind the wheel is another factor. Many fatalities occur on rural roads that young people use daily to travel to school, training, work and social activities. Another issue is young people driving tractors with massive slurry tanks - surely there should be some form of training on that. One in four people killed on Irish roads is aged between 16 and 25. Young drivers aged 18 to 24 have the highest collision rates. The figures also show a stark gender imbalance. According to the Road Safety Authority, almost eight out of ten driver fatalities are male, as are six out of ten of those injured.

Behind every statistic is a name. As Dr. Jamal so powerfully said on that day in November, this is not just about the person who dies but also the family left behind. Road safety is not simply about enforcement. It is about culture, responsibility and prevention. Volunteer organisations like the Rotary Club of Navan are doing remarkable work but life-saving education should not depend on volunteers alone. I welcome this Private Members' motion and I thank my colleagues for bringing it forward. If we truly believe in Vision Zero, we must treat road safety education as essential, not optional. Even one life lost on our roads is one too many.

The next speaker is Senator Andrews. Am I right that he was in the safe cross code television advertisement?

I do not know where it all went wrong that I ended up in here. Yes, I was one of the children in that advertisement. It has been downhill for me ever since. It was one of the greatest advertisements ever.

I still remember it.

It was my five minutes of fame.

The Senator looks younger than any of us.

We can create all the laws we want but what we really need is enforcement. We have heard the mother of that poor child, Grace, who was murdered a few weeks ago speaking so eloquently and passionately about this. I welcome that the Government is looking to close the loopholes but that should have been done long ago. There should never have been loopholes in the legislation and scramblers should never have been allowed on the road network. Again, without enforcement, anything we do in here will be useless. It is really important to ensure there is adequate enforcement.

Another issue that has come to my attention again, and which has been around for a while, is sulky racing and urban horses. This has an obvious impact on road safety. Two weeks ago, a horse carrying a foal collapsed on the way to Ballyfermot after being used in sulky racing on Dollymount Strand. The horse was kicked and whipped to get it back up but it could not do so because it was exhausted and physically unable. These sulky horses are out on public highways, being driven recklessly and sometimes collapsing. That has a big impact. I am interested to hear the Department's view on sulky racing and urban horses. This is a threat to road safety and public safety. We hear owners of urban horses talking about how much they love their animals but there is not much evidence of that when we look at the condition of some of the horses and the way they are treated. The poor sulky horse, named Anne, that died two weeks ago is not the only example. Horses that were run into the ground have been found in ditches. They are a hazard on the road and a blight on many communities. I would like to hear what plans the Minister of State has to ensure sulky racing and urban horses are regulated and that the animals are treated fairly and properly.

I welcome the Minister of State. I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of guests Barry Murphy and Ian Moran from Wexford.

I welcome this debate on the important topic of road safety. I fully support the motion put forward by my colleagues. Last year, six people lost their lives on Wexford roads, with a nationwide total of 185. Every single one of those losses is a severe tragedy for the families, communities and all the people whose lives will never be the same after experiencing that loss. We in this Chamber can provide leadership in the whole area of road traffic and road safety. It is important that the measures we have presented this evening are brought to bear by the Government. I urge the Minister of State to take the specific proposals in the motions and the key points expressed in the debate back to the Government with a view to implementing revisions in the area of road safety.

A specific issue of concern to me relates to the most dangerous junctions in my county of Wexford. One of them is the Clohamon crossing on the N80 coming from Bunclody to Enniscorthy. Another is Kyle Cross on the N11 between Enniscorthy and Wexford town. On the N25 from Wexford to New Ross, we have Larkin's Cross. Those three junctions account for a vast proportion of the road traffic accidents in County Wexford. They have repeatedly been the subject of surveys, proposals and consultations. Now we need to see action to make them far safer than they are today. Only three weeks ago, there was a serious collision at Larkin's Cross that came very close to resulting in yet another fatality on that stretch of road. I encourage the Department to look seriously at taking action for the communities in those three key areas.

The motion includes a proposal to impose mandatory minimum sentencing and jail time on people who take it upon themselves, having been disqualified from driving either through accumulating penalty points or after a judge has taken them off the roads, to get back in a vehicle and drive. Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 made it a crime to drive when disqualified and introduced a penalty of a fine, which is now €5,000, and a sentence of a maximum of six months. We need to look at that again. A person caught driving after being taken off the roads must face a penalty of more than six months in prison. There cannot be a ceiling of six months' jail time, which, in practice, will result in a shorter sentence. This provision has not been reviewed since 1961. It must be reviewed now. We must take the opportunity to change that law and increase that penalty.

There were not as many drivers on the roads in 1961 as there are now. Too many people have made the decision to get into their car after being strictly disqualified from driving. One in five disqualified drivers does not surrender his or her licence. There is work to be done by the Department, An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service and the Road Safety Authority to ensure there is no confusion about who is disqualified, that the licences of such drivers are not valid and that drivers who are the subject of a court conviction must surrender their licence on the day. We can no longer allow the current situation whereby people might not bring their licence to court and, having been disqualified, can carry that licence around in their pocket the following day. It just does not make any sense.

The Road Safety Authority must have the modern technology it needs to ensure that the driver number of people who have been disqualified shows up for gardaí when they are out doing checkpoints on the side of the road.

They should have instant access to the data about who actually is disqualified. It should never be the case that a garda is not sure what the information is telling them. If you are off the road, you are off the road and that is where the law has to be. I urge the Minister of State to take those points back. I support this motion from my colleagues this evening.

I join the Senator in welcoming Barry Murphy and Ian Moran from Wexford to the Gallery. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I agree with the sentiments of everybody who has spoken tonight. The last time we spoke about this, we spoke about tractor users and a provisional licence being given to somebody at 18 or even younger. When contractors come and a workforce is needed at silage or slurry time, they are allowed to drive up to 250 HP tractors and in some cases even more. With weight-bearing trailers, the slurry tank or trailer will be eight to 12 tonnes and the load behind that will be another ten to 12 tonnes. Between the width of the tractor, trailer and the load behind it, there is 30 tonnes to 35 tonnes coming down the road in some cases. They are provisional licence holders. I am not blaming them for causing all the accidents. There has to be a training school where young people are assessed to see if there are capable of training to drive that tractor and the speed it does. There should be a mechanism, like in building sites, for a school whereby they are put up on a tractor or trailer, drive through and reverse around a set of cones and back into an area using their mirrors. If that is passable, they will receive a licence. Everybody should be assessed on their ability to drive a tractor. I am sure the manufacturers - Massey, John Deere, New Holland - will buy into this because it is in their vested interest that people are capable of driving these high-powered tractors. The evaluation should be left up to the instructor's know-how, and if they feel a person is fit to do this, they should receive their licence, and if not, they should continue their training. That is fair to everybody who is a road user.

I welcome active travel. My village of Drumlish in County Longford has seen huge investment in active travel. I never realised, even though I was a councillor, that we had James Cawley Jnr, an activist for people in wheelchairs. I have lived in the village all my life and took it for granted that James Cawley Jnr. could go to the shop, come out of his house and go wherever he wanted. I took it for granted and so did everybody else who was local. Unfortunately, James said to me that for him to go to the local shop, he had to go out on the road at a break where people drive up their cars, drive up the road in his wheelchair and then go in at somebody else's gateway. He could not actually the use the footpaths because they narrowed in some spots and in other areas where he wanted to cross there was no low-level pedestrian crossing. From him coming to us as local councillors and us going to engineers, we have made a village that has seen huge progress in low-level access. I would like to see something like that rolled out in planning for active travel throughout the whole of Ireland. We need to think of wheelchair users in infrastructure. It is something we have missed over the past number of years. I thank James for advocating for people who use wheelchairs. He has highlighted it in Longford and throughout other counties. We have come on leaps and bounds. I know first hand that we have seen huge change.

Concerning safety, we have to look at schools because of the volume of kids there at all times. Around the school in Drumlish only three weeks ago, a raised pedestrian crossing was fitted which acts as a crossing for kids coming and going from school from one side of the road to the other. It is raised so it slows down people using the road because they see it as a ramp. Driver behaviour will always be driver behaviour but this infrastructure has slowed down traffic around one school in the area. In a village out the road, Ballinamuck, a pathway has been provided that is 5 km long. When it comes to the national school, everybody has to cross the main road at their own peril. The road is 7 m or 8 m wide. Everybody who uses that pathway has to walk, look left and look right and take a chance. It is imperative that safety is a must around every school. We must look at raised pedestrian crossings and safety measures around every school. If we are serious about the safety of our kids and educating them well, that is where we start.

We have been talking about all the technology we have in Ireland. I mentioned previously putting phone blockers in tractors so that anybody using a tractor is stopped from using a mobile phone. With technology now and car manufacturers, there is no reason there cannot be a phone blocker in every car manufactured from now on and it either comes through on the radio or another system. If we are looking at technology, it is something that should be discussed. It would be one way to alleviate phone use in cars because it has to come through on the radio.

I thank the Ministers of State, Deputy Buttimer and Deputy Canney, for being here for such an important topic. I thank my Fine Gael colleagues and colleagues across all parties for supporting this motion. As has been outlined, we have a crisis in road safety. We have heard some brilliant and heartfelt contributions of ideas to help make our roadways, footpaths and cycle lanes safer for all road users. Today's announcement of funding and investment will go some way towards low-cost safety measures in communities which can improve safety. We would like to see drastic improvements in front-loading investment and prioritising low-cost safety measures in communities. As has been mentioned, perhaps there can be more devolved decision-making around safety improvements in towns and communities. We have engineers in local authorities on the ground and representatives in communities who understand in a pronounced way the challenges in every neighbourhood. Connecting the funding and interventions closer together will make a big difference in turning around projects at much greater speed. We are in an age where there are so many different challenges in road safety because of more contemporary travel modes. We spoke at length about e-scooters and scramblers. We welcome the Bills that are coming in but it also requires the enforcement of them and the vigilance of every road user to protect the most vulnerable, whether schoolchildren, wheelchair users, cyclists, pedestrians, motorists, vulnerable road users like motorcyclists, and larger vehicles. Every single one of us has a role to play as public representatives and leaders in our communities along with every citizen. They have to take a certain amount of responsibility and autonomy and vigilance. We as policymakers can be constructive.

The ideas proposed this evening can be very constructive in terms of making this a safer country for us all to live in and making the roadway and byways safer for us all to use, because each life lost is one too many. We need to see a re-emphasis on road safety. I welcome all of the contributions this evening and we all look forward to working with the Minister of State and all of the State agencies and local authorities alike to make sure we have a drastic improvement in safety outcomes for all road users.

I move amendment No. 2:

To insert the following paragraphs under “calls on the Government to:"

"- expedite the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025 to ensure that local authorities have expedited access to road collision data;

- explore an all-island approach to road safety initiatives;

- commit to a clear, time-bound plan to recruit, train and retain additional Garda members specifically for high-visibility road policing, backed by apppropriate resources, vehicles, technology and ongoing professional development;"

I second the amendment.

When is it proposed to sit again?

Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

Is that agreed? Agreed.