*Photograph: John Mangan
A COLLABORATIVE effort is needed to reverse the trend of road fatalities, a Clare Senator has outlined.
So far this year, 115 people have died on Irish roads, up twelve for the same time period in 2023.
Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) has said said changes to road safety rules and upgrading on skills of drivers should be prioritised aswell as amendments made by government. “We need to do more to upskill our drivers and amend road safety regulations. I am aware government are working hard on improving regulations, and I welcome the Taoiseach’s comments on how government will play its part furthermore. I am sure he will be of the similar opinion that it needs to happen at pace”.
He welcomed recommendations from the Speed Limit Review 2023 that shows how many fatalities can be reduced by the reduction of the speed limits on our road, but stresses this can’t be done without public buy in. “The review recommended that the default speed limit on national secondary roads to reduce from 100km/h to 80km/h, that default speed limit for the network of local and rural roads reduce from 80km/h to 60km/h, and that the default speed limit on urban roads, including built up areas and estates and town centres to reduce to 30km/h”.
Dooley continued, “These measures were considered by my party colleague Jack Chambers during his role as Minister of State. These measures will help save lives on our roads, alongside with the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 that was signed into law by the President in June.
“Although strides have been made to tackle road safety, more engagement and more change is needed. There is a need for public buy in as well as buy in at a government level. Too many lives are being lost, and we must reverse this trend as quickly as we can,” the Mountshannon native concluded.
