Hauliers write to councillors urging them to submit motions of no confidence in RSA

Eva Osborne

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has written to county councillors across the country, urging them to submit motions of no confidence in the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

It follows Kerry County Council's decision to back such a motion.

185 people died on the roads last year, and the IRHA said it is calling for a re-evaluation of the RSA's role.

Speaking on Newstalk, president of the IRHA, Ger Hyland, said he believes that unless there is a change to the RSA, the driving test backlog and rising death toll on the roads will continue.

"I'm calling for the organisation to be split," he said.

"I can't see how the one organisation on the one hand can write the driving test and, on the other hand, implement the driving test.

"You need two oganisations there."

In a letter sent to county councillors across the country, the IRHA asks that they consider bringing a motion of no confidence before their council colleagues.

"Following the publication of the Indecon Report last year, the Government under then Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan accepted all its recommendations and committed to substantive reform of the RSA," the letter says.

"The Department of Transport stated clearly that these reforms would deliver a “radical transformation” in road safety activity in Ireland.

"However, just before Christmas, the current Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, announced that the recommendations of the Indecon Report would not be implemented, citing cost. This decision represents a significant retreat from evidence-based policy and reform that had already been agreed by Government.

"We believe this decision will have serious consequences, continued dysfunction within the driving test system, worsening road safety outcomes, and the ongoing operation of a publicly funded body that has been widely criticised as unfit for purpose.

"The Irish Road Haulage Association notes with alarm that road fatalities continue to rise, despite independent reviews concluding that structural reform of the RSA is essential because the current framework is failing both the public and the transport sector."