TRANSPORT MINISTER DARRAGH O’Brien has said the Road Safety Authority (RSA) should have been more vocal about road safety after the M9 collision. 

Speaking to The Journal at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Tullamore on Tuesday, the minister also said the authority needs to “get its act together” when it comes to the wait times for driving tests. 

Five boys aged in their teens died when the car they were travelling in drove into oncoming traffic on the motorway, causing a head-on collision.

Four people in another vehicle, including a mother and her seven-year-old son, were seriously injured. 

The Journal previously reported that Junior Minister at the Department of Transport Seán Canney also conveyed his unhappiness with the organisation over its absence in the aftermath of the M9 motorway collision.  

O’Brien said Anne Graham, the new chairperson of the RSA, is “very good”, stating he has the “height of regard” for her and her experience having previously worked at the National Transport Authority (NTA). 

However, asked if he was surprised that the RSA wasn’t more visible in the aftermath of the M9 crash, the minister said: 

“I think, could they be more vocal around that? Yes, frankly, and they should have been, and they know that.”

Following the M9 incident, the RSA released a statement stating that it would not comment further on the matter until after the garda investigation had concluded. 

It also said it was “not in a position” to provide advice to motorists as to what to do in a scenario where they encounter a car driving the wrong way down the motorway. However, days later the RSA published its advice on its website but not publicise it. 

The minister said change is happening within the RSA, with the minister saying it is urgent that it be done.

A decision was reached in 2024 to disband the RSA and split the organisation into two separate entities. The government ultimately rolled back on that decision, with the Taoiseach stating on Tuesday that he was never in favour of splitting the organisation in two. 

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The minister said there are core parts of the RSA’s job that it needs to focus on.

“One is road safety, and actually, road safety relates as well to driver testing,” said O’Brien, who said there have been issues recently around driving test wait times. 

“In some areas, that started to slip again, and that’s really frustrating. Like we’ve provided extra resources, i.e., more people in the RSA, more testers, and we’re seeing in certain areas now, that 10-week average going out to 12 weeks and beyond.

“That’s not acceptable. And like, that’s core to their job, and that actually impacts on people’s lives. If you can’t get a driving test, you mightn’t be able to get the job that you’re going for. And I’ve had cases like that myself. So that isn’t acceptable,” said the transport minister. 

O’Brien said he has spoken to Canney about the matter.

So, they really got to get their act together there.

“It’s extremely frustrating to see those delays creeping back in, and it isn’t acceptable. We’ve provided them with the resources and the funding, and they need to get their act together on that, frankly.”