Road safety remains a core priority for me and this Government. The fifth Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030 sets a target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by the end of this decade and it shares the EU target of Vision Zero - no road deaths or serious injuries on our roads - by 2050. The issue of public health and public health surveillance is a matter for the Minister for Health and questions in relation to those matters should be directed to that Department.
In a transport context, Transport Infrastructure Ireland has full access to collision data under the Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive and uses this information to conduct detailed analysis on the national road network to prioritise safety investment. A priority for TII is the maintenance of the existing national roads network to ensure it is kept to a safe and robust standard. This involves carrying out extensive analysis of the network to identify high-risk locations, through analysis of collision data and through inspections.
Collision data is collected by members of An Garda Síochána at the scene of road traffic accidents. This data was previously shared with local authorities, to enable them to identify locations of interest that would benefit from safety improvements. Due to the presence of personal information in the data, legal advice related to GDPR has meant that local authorities have stopped receiving collision data since November 2023. As an interim measure, my Department has been undertaking detailed collision analysis on the regional and local road network to identify locations of interest. When locations of interest are identified, the Department notifies the affected local authority. This in turn helps to inform the local authorities decisions in relation to safety provision at these locations of interest including in relation to applying for funding for low-cost safety schemes. Locations of interest were most recently notified to local authorities in Q3 2025 to inform investment decisions this year.
The Government has approved the General Scheme of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill, which will restore direct collision data sharing with local authorities to help better inform investment decisions. This Bill is on the Government's Priority for Publication list for the current legislative term, and it is my intention to see it enacted before the summer recess.
Last July, I published the Phase 2 Action Plan under the Road Safety Strategy which will run to December 2027. It contains 12 primary and 77 supporting actions, with the potential to deliver real transformative change. All of these actions are grounded in the internationally recognised Safe Systems approach and will be delivered through partnership and collaborative working by road safety stakeholders.
The Deputy may wish to note that a number of supporting actions under this Plan are being led by agencies in the health sector including the HSE, the Ambulance Service, the National Office of Clinical Audit and the National Office of Trauma Services. These actions relate to post collision support and treatment as well as work to establish the extent of trauma and serious injuries as a result of road traffic collisions. This work is being done collaboratively to ensure that data can give a complete picture of the incidence, cause, management and outcomes consideration of data and analysis by health agencies of traumatic injury.
