THE GOVERNMENT HAS approved formal drafting of new bills that will end the need for paper tax discs and also “streamline” information on road traffic collisions.

Cabinet has approved the drafting of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2024, which includes provisions to abolish the requirement to display a motor tax disc.

A spokesperson from the Department of Transport noted that gardaí already have immediate digital access to motor tax information and the new bill will “get rid of a now unnecessary validation of tax compliance”.

Currently, motorists are legally required to display their motor tax disc to drive in a public place. 

The legislation will also strengthen GDPR for access to vehicle and driver data and remove the end date of declarations of non-use of a motor vehicle. 

The National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) is the central register of vehicles and drivers and is widely used by state agencies, including the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána, for a variety of road safety purposes.

Meanwhile, the Roads Bill 2024 will allow the “flow of information so that local authorities may request, receive, and process road collision data from both the RSA and An Garda Síochána. 

A department spokesperson said this data will enable local authorities, in their role as road authorities, to target areas where collisions are more prone to occur with investment and infrastructure.

The spokesperson added that it’s hoped this new legislation will support the delivery of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 targets of reducing fatalities on Irish roads by 50% by the end of this decade.

The Government also has a “Vision Zero” target of no deaths or serious injuries on Irish roads by 2050.

Speaking after the meeting of Government today, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the flow of collision data to local authorities will be an “important tool in reducing the terrible trend of rising road fatalities”.

He said this “builds on the important work we are already undertaking in response to accidents on our roads”.

Ryan added that the NVDF Bill will provide a more data-secure underpinning for the national vehicle driver file.

He also remarked that the Bill will modernise the motor tax system and “get rid of the need for paper discs on our windscreens, in line with most other European countries”.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Transport James Lawless said every life lost on Irish roads is one too many, and that the Roads Bill will “strengthen our response to the trends that unfortunately so many of our citizens have been impacted by”.

He added that the NVDF Bill is a “natural next step towards modernising our systems and improving outcomes for citizens”.

“Using technology to allow digital versions of tax discs will provide for a paperless system, being convenient for motorists and more efficient all round,” said Lawless.