Government promises to tackle rising road deaths amid attack from ex-Transport Minister
Ottoline Spearman
Séan Canney TD has described the number of lives lost on the roads this year as "unacceptable", as his department prepares to ramp up road safety efforts in the new year.
The Minister for State with responsibility for Road Safety's comments come as the number of people dying on the roads has reached just shy of 200 this year, an 8 per cent increase on 2024.
As of December 29th, 189 people have died on the roads, compared with 175 last year. In 2023 and 2022, 184 and 153 people died in road accidents respectively.
The renewed focus on addressing road deaths comes amid criticism from former Minister for Transport Shane Ross, writing in the Sunday Independent last week.
Criticising the Government's inaction on road safety, he writes: "While lunatics behind the wheel continue to create mayhem, apathy trumps action among lawmakers."
"Public relations campaigns by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and empty appeals for careful driving from ministers should not persuade us that there is a sense of urgency in the Government. There isn’t."
"The criminals who kill on the roads must sense the Government’s reluctance to act, and the consequent impotence of law enforcers."
"A dark, dishonourable blame game is being played between national politicians, local authorities, state agencies and gardaí."
The increase in road deaths has been noted as concerning by Mr Canney. "Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy," he says. "Every death is one too many."
“It is especially worrying that we are seeing increases in fatalities among pedestrians and older people. In 2025, around 50 per cent more people over the age of 60 lost their lives on our roads than people under 30. This shows that road safety affects every age group and every community.”
Mr Canney and his department have pledged a renewed focus on road safety, as well as a "shared responsibility" among all road users.
“Road safety concerns us all, and improving it must involve us all. Alongside strong legislation and enforcement, we all have a personal responsibility - never drink or drug drive, always wear a seatbelt, never use a mobile phone while driving, slow down and avoid distraction. These actions save lives.”
The Government's commitments include the Action Plan 2025 - 2027, which aims to halve road deaths and serious injuries this decade, and work towards Vision Zero - the elimination of all road deaths and injuries - by 2050. The plan focuses on the three Es of road safety - Enforcement, Education and Engineering - delivered in partnership with An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority.
But Mr Ross also launches a direct criticism in his column at Séan Canney and Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, who voted against the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill in 2017. The bill was introduced by Mr Ross and increased penalties for specific categories of drink-drivers.
"Neither voted for the drink- driving reforms in 2017," Mr Ross says. "Unfortunately, it is up to these two to determine how Ireland responds to the tragedies recurring today."
Key measures delivered so far by the Government include closing the loophole that allowed repeated renewal of learner permits without sitting a driving test, and reducing the default speed limit on rural local roads from 80km/h to 60km/h, covering approximately 80 per cent of the road network.
Local authorities have also been directed to review existing speed limits in built-up and urban areas and, where appropriate, to introduce 30km/h limits, with updated bye-laws to be completed by March 2027.
Mr Canney also confirmed that work is progressing on the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025, which is expected to be enacted in the first half of next year.
“This Bill will restore local authorities’ direct access to collision data, allowing safety investment to be targeted at known blackspots. It will also implement recommendations arising from Judge Haughton’s report on the tragic death of Shane O’Farrell,” he says.
Further reforms are also being prepared, including graduated speeding penalties and camera-led enforcement of mobile phone and seatbelt offences.
Mr Canney also says that further actions will be considered in 2026.
Mr Ross' column concludes: "Ireland has signed up to a European hallucination that we will have zero road deaths by 2050.
"Such delusional and dishonest games are contributing to the public’s disbelief in the existence of any political will to tackle road deaths.
"Zero tolerance would be a far nobler ambition: no drugs, no drink and no mobiles for drivers on penalty of disqualification. It would save lives, but that has never been our politicians’ true priority."
