Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
367. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration with regards to phase 2 of the Road Safety Strategy, the issues that have been identified; the actions being taken to address the high level of roads policing enforcement cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31586/26]
View answerThe whole of Government response to road safety is led by the Department of Transport and is a shared responsibility taken very seriously across Government. The Phase 2 Action Plan represents the next stage in implementation of the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which is the current national framework for road safety. The actions in Phase 2 will be delivered through partnership and collaborative working by road safety stakeholders and provides a framework through which we can achieve our road safety goals and reduce the number of fatalities on our roads.
Within the safe road use actions, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is working to progress a supporting action linked to identifying and addressing matters relating to the high level of road policing enforcement cases which end up Court, and ensuring there are stronger levels of enforcement. Working collaboratively with our road safety stakeholders, significant progress has been made in recent months in broadening the information which is available to An Garda Síochána at the roadside. This has led to significant improvements in the area of identification of offenders as well as more widely across roads policing operations which in turn will serve as a deterrent to other road users.
Technology also continues to play an increasingly important role in enforcement. Every frontline Garda member now has a mobility device, which is essentially a mobile phone that allows them to access a number of specialised Garda apps at the roadside. These include the ability to issue a Fixed Charge Notice, to check a vehicle's insurance status, if a vehicle is taxed and whether a driver is disqualified. These tasks can now be done within moments, without the need to return to the station making much better use of their time.
Over the last number of years, An Garda Síochána has also increased capacity for Roads Policing and implemented many initiatives including vehicles equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), a technology which can automatically read and log vehicle registration plates in real time, deployments of high performance unmarked cars, unmarked motorbikes and unmarked Lorry Tractor Cab (Operation Iompair). These initiatives along with improved technology, additional speed cameras and enhanced data sharing is helping to ensure a multifaceted approach to road safety enforcement in Ireland.
