Road Safety Authority chairwoman describes spike in fatalities as ‘heartbreaking’ as death toll reaches 102 so far this year
Liz O'Donnell, RSA chairwoman, says there is an increasing social acceptability of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Enforcement, she says, is “of course an issue, but I think we have agreement and buy-in now from the Department of Justice and the Garda Commissioner”.Nineteen fatalities were recorded on the roads in January; 21 in February; and 19 in March. The toll fell to 10 in April; 10 in May; and 15 in June, which the RSA attributes to an increased Garda presence on the roads. This “must be sustained”, O’Donnell says. “You can’t take your foot off the brake at all. The minute you do, the fatalities go up.
She acknowledges that the number of deaths has “unfortunately” been trending upwards and calls for more support from the Government. A recent Public Accounts Committee heard that the RSA generated almost all of its €100 million income in 2022. More than €93 million of that came from driving licence and driver testing fees, NCTs and commercial vehicle testing. It recorded a surplus of €5.1 million in 2022.
O’Donnell, who was a Progressive Democrats TD for 15 years, five of which she spent as a junior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs, says it’s “heartbreaking” to see so many people bereaved in recent years.
Road-Safety Paul-Murphy Catherine-Murphy An-Garda-Siochana Marc-O-Cathasaigh
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