Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 June 2024
95. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of serious and fatal road traffic collisions gardaí within the Meath division attended in the years of 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [26476/24]
View answerWe have all been shocked by the recent loss of life on our roads, and concerned by the worrying increase in road fatalities after many years of progress in making our roads safer. Road safety is a shared responsibility and one which this Government takes very seriously.
Road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other state agencies, in order to make our roads safer for all. The Garda Commissioner has recently confirmed that all uniformed Gardaí will undertake 30 minutes of high visibility roads policing in each tour of duty.
The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to keep people safe. An Garda Síochána has been allocated unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for 2024 representing a 25% increase since 2020. This funding will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff. The Garda Commissioner informed the Joint Committee on Transport recently that he plans to add 75 Gardaí to Roads Policing this year and a further 75 in 2025.
An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority continue to highlight to the public the dangerous behaviours which give rise to so many collisions and fatalities through road safety appeals and campaigns. Everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car, or is a passenger in a car has a role to play in ensuring that drivers behave in a safe manner.
The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines a breakdown, per year, of the number of Fatal and Serious Injury Collisions which occurred in the Districts of Navan, Trim, Ashbourne and Kells from 2022 up to 14 June 2024.
|
Year |
Traffic Collision resulting in fatality |
Traffic Collision resulting in serious injury |
|
2022 |
7 |
63 |
|
2023 |
7 |
66 |
|
2024 |
3 |
21 |
|
Grand Total |
17 |
150 |
The further table below outlines a breakdown of the number of those collisions in which a Garda member attended the scene:
|
Year |
Traffic Collision resulting in fatality |
Traffic Collision resulting in serious injury |
|
2022 |
7 |
54 |
|
2023 |
7 |
63 |
|
2024 |
3 |
20 |
|
Grand Total |
17 |
137 |
I am informed these figures are based on incidents occurring from 1 January 2022 up to 13 June 2024, inclusive. All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the Pulse system as was available on 14 June 2024 and may be liable to change.
