Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE ROAD SAFETY Authority is set to be split into two independent agencies under a plan that has been approved by the Government.
The final report from the independent external review of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), carried out by Indecon Economic Consultants, was published today.
The external review was a “thorough and comprehensive examination of RSA organisational structures, funding model, service provision and strategic goals”.
The core recommendation is that there should be a separation between the two key responsibilities of the RSA, which are the delivery of road safety customer services and wider road safety public interest activities.
It is envisaged that one agency will focus on the delivery of services and operations and the other will be responsible for wider road safety initiatives including media campaigns, education and research.
This core recommendation was accepted by the Government, and the Government also approved the “development of a comprehensive implementation plan to progress this reform”.
A spokesperson from the Department of Transport said the move will “bring about a radical transformation in how State road safety activities are coordinated and implemented”.
The reform will happen on a phases basis and a Departmental Group will be established to consider and progress its implementation of the Review.
And to ensure “continuity and leadership”, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan will make a direct appointment of the next Chair of the RSA.
The term of the previous chair, Liz O’Donnell, ended in October.
The report called for “radical changes” and said the recommendations are “designed to inform a whole-of-Government response to the very worrying recent increase in road fatalities and serious injuries”.
It also recommended that fees for RSA customer services – such as testing and licensing – be reviewed given the “current unsustainable funding model” for the agency.
The consultants said this is “likely to require an increase in fees in 2025 and modest increases in subsequent years”.
However, it recommended that fee increases should be conditional on substantially meeting service level targets.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan today said that there “has been a positive transformation in safety on Irish roads in recent decades”, with the number of annual road deaths declining from 365 in 2006 when the RSA was established to a record low of 133 in 2021.
But Ryan acknowledged that “recent years have seen this long-term improvement go into reverse”.
“It is incumbent on everyone working in the sector to look at what we’re doing and change the approach to ensure our roads are as safe as possible,” said Ryan.
He added that the reform of the RSA “aims to deliver a more effective whole-of-Government response to the deteriorating fatality and serious injury trends on Irish roads”.
Ryan also thanked outgoing RSA Chair Liz O’Donnell and she “can be proud that under her stewardship in 2021, Ireland recorded its lowest number of road deaths since records began”.
Meanwhile, O’Donnell said the recent rise in fatalities “can be reversed with additional Exchequer resources and an all-of-government approach”.
-With additional reporting from Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
When bureaucracy fails, how to fix, another layer of bureaucracy
@Thomas Hanlon: spot on, man.
@Thomas Hanlon: it’ll be a handy number for any of the failed fianna failers that get dumped out on there arse after the election.
@Thomas Hanlon: Yes. When a body fails divide it into two bodies, with double expenses and salaries. The obvious solution. What could go wrong.? The RSA,was,a failure from day one .
So if you believe that article we’ll now have two quangos instead of one…. wonderful. Jobs/ Boys comes to mind.
@Jp Cleary: big redundancy payoff for the top tear and then rehired in the new authority
They are happy to see speed cameras on safe roads and not where they are needed, they lord over inappropriate low speed limits on roads, not sure what they do, maybe they should just have another mass.
@Allo Allo: Latest action today from the RSA to help save lives on the road, is to increase the cost of doing the Driving Test, the Licence Fee & the NCT test, all stealth taxes placing further strain on working families in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Actions that will have no bearing on saving lives on the roads, how stupid is this Quango. Fighting now for relevance & to hang on to their mega pay, coming out with stupid proposals like this. RSA like Tulsa has been used as a retirement home for failed politicians to continue leaching off the Taxpayer. Liz O Donnell failing Taxpayers yet again. How about Gardai on the roads & streets, it is that simple & do away with all these Quango’s & CEO’s to pay for more Gardai. This Govt creates Quango’s to deflect blame from themselves.
Good, utter waste of money
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Read the article, it’ll be split into two organizations…. Probably costing more money
We need a super quango headed up by retired TD’s some of whom are not qualified for anything.
The RSA have been truly shocking. Good riddance.
Maybe more actual Gardai on the road instead of speed vans
Apart from escort duties I can’t remember the last time I saw a motorbike cop on patrol
More speeding fines and checkpoints wouldn’t do any harm either
@denis silver: When the next recession hits, you’ll see plenty of checkpoints on the roads. It’s all rosy at the moment, but when they need to raise more money for additional handouts they’ll go for the fish in the barrel – drivers.
@denis silver: speeding fines clearly not working because the biggest issue on our roads is not speeding. It’s the lack of road craft and intoxication.
More jobs for the failed ministers
Stop giving licences to people who cannot drive, its obvious many L and N have no grasp of the rules at all and struggle to control their vehicle. Seems to be a huge increase in the numbers of L and N on the road too and they are unfamiliar with driving on the Left.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Along with making it a requirement for non nationals to have Insurance, NCT and tax. Before they step tyre on Irish roads.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: go on the M50 on any given day, and you’ll see plenty of drivers without L or N plates that haven’t a clue how to drive either.
@Andrew Giles: the M50 is a death trap, a lorry nearly jack knifed today heading northbound almost crashing through the central barrier, clearly was going to fast and the slip lanes causing bottle necks are not helping
The only thing the RSA has focused on is speed cameras on motorways, The majority of deaths are on rural roads , late at night, people texting while driving , still people driving on L plates unaccompanied
This is where all the points money and fines go, for nothing..useless shower
Absolute itiods instead of going the very simple (and unique) way: law enforcement. True in many other parts of our faulty society: enforcement of the law, which now is at a minimum level.
RSA why was it ever needed, they appear to be a disaster, in other countries local councils etc. and the cops look after road safety.
2021 country in lockdown !!!!!
Driving tests & NCT’S going for a BIG hike after the election
So when they set up the next layer of road safety bureaucracy, try putting someone who knows about roads and the network in charge instead of a celebrity, TV host or a politican.
2021 Lockdown!!!
We need a regular Garda presence on the roads. Sticking camera vans in a quiet spot for a few hours a week isn’t helping.
@Stephen Kelly: The Gardaí will be sent to baton IPAS protestors instead, or drive around cities scanning registration plates to check for expired tax.
@Marvin Dollery: well done there on bringing 2 completely different things together to suit your own little world
Oh look, yet another government quango to fund during spiralling cost of living
Biggest supplier of hi viz in the country and not much else to brag about..top heavy with directors doing feck all
A double tax on the way, lovely, just lovely.
RSA to be split into two Agencies, so now two Quango’s instead of one, only in Ireland. So for repeated failure, they will be left in office & another Quango get set up to cost us the working Taxpayer more of our hard earned money. Result will be no different. This Govt have lost the plot, we had the BAI & now they have created another Quango Comisiun na Mean, doing the same role. Hundreds of staff & 5 Executives all on mega salaries, this organization is already complaining about work practices & it’s not even a year old. The Dept put a halt to their purchases, as they were spending Millions on fitting out offices. This is the new Ireland, ordinary people working & paying for the Authoritarian State. We complain about Putin & Trump, our Govt are no better.
Nice new Road Safety Tax in the pipeline!
So Liz O’Donnell was chair overseeing this carnage? Can I claim that she was a terrible chair and should get no more job like this again or with any type of state body? Or is she going to get another one of the “jobs for the boys and girls” that this rotten government love to give out. Ireland is a corrupt country when the likes of Liz O’Donnell, despite being emminently terrible, can take on such a role
I was going to reply to this but have now decided to form my own department to reply to this.
People are actually afraid driving around, these ‘campaigns of terror’ are only compounding the lack of infrastructure, the brainless provision of services. The RSA needs to be kept as a research facility but not as a PR mechanism. Move them into a back room and actually use the information to make real changes in terms how transport moves around the country.
“Deteriorating road death trends”? I thought the figures for this year had come back to previous years’ trends. And that’s with an increasing population.
So basically a rebranded Irish water style job, no doubt the taxpayers will never get to see the actual final bill for the payoffs ans new hires etc etc
Seen five novice accidents on my travels over the last few months,thankfully none were serious.
The “N” sticker doesnt seem to work!
How about all novice drivers have to fit telematics device for first two years instead? (Or at least a tacograph type device incase someone is offended having big brother watching you!)
More highly paid public service workers then. When the public service fail.. split it up, double the workers, double the funding, promote the incompetent. The result will still be the same. A monkey with syphilis could do a better job.
Yep its the usual no police patrols on the fast roads people flash each when theres a speed van which nullifies them after about 10 mins of them setting up so nothing has changed or will !!
@Alan Boyd: And rightly so. Those speed vans are only a money making racket. Once the van is out of the line of sight, you’re free to cruise at whatever speed you like. Nothing they can do about it.
Working as an ADI has been an eye opener, nothing really runs smoothly. The trainers of learner drivers get no training from the RSA, communication is next to zero and input from ADI’s is basically ignored.
A new approach is needed from the ground up and enforcement of the rules needs to be taken seriously. The M50 is shut down daily for accidents and when you see the driving is it any surprise? Driving is a privilege not a right and everyone has a part to play but alas it’s not taken seriously.
Roads are dire. As a cyclist have 1 near miss a week. And the potholes? There are deaths at the hands of the councils.
@Spanky McShart: The council’s hands are tied. The government sets their budgets, they can’t afford to fix the potholes because the vast majority of transport funding is ring fenced for Eamonn Ryan’s pet projects.
For example the €3million budget for a 1.3km cycle lane in Wexford Vs the €2.1million total budget for Rosslare council to maintain and repair 640km of roads.
@Spanky McShart: Agree, but it’s Eamonn Ryan who has cut budgets for Councils to maintain roads. He has been a totally incompetent Minister & his Dept was the worst performing of all Depts. His list of Advisors & Expenditure by his Dept made him amongst the most expensive Ministry to run while being the most incompetent. His hatred of roads blinded him to the fact that Cyclists use roads, public transport uses roads, EV cars use roads, the majority of workers use roads to go to work as there is no other alternative, a functioning country needs a road infrastructure & roads need to be maintained, but this Genius & all his Advisors didn’t think so. Eamon Ryan needs to have his role around the number of Data Centres investigated along with allowing our Renewable sector to be sold off.
Eamonn Ryan needs gone before he causes any more damage. He has personally decimated road budgets across the country. Local authorities don’t have the funding to properly maintain safe roads but there are billions available for cycle lanes. It’s not just motorists that use roads, public transport, commerce, emergency services and tourism all depend on roads as critical infrastructure.
Now instead of investing in critical infrastructure we will spend millions on consultants, audits and working groups to convert a failed quango into two failed quangos. It’s like Eamonn is trying to cause as much damage on motorists as he can before his stint in politics is over.
There is a big need for change whoever dreamed up this N plate business needs a slap of reality. Driver goes through EDT does Test, takes of L plate sticks on N plate and drives home via the M50 motorway and hasn’t a bulls notion were they are at or what they are doing its an absolute joke of a system. Oh and btw there is no such thing on irish roads as a Fast Lane so stay out of it lane 3 on a road is purely there to allow for overtaking you must move back into lane 2 when you do so wise up guys.
Watch it reappear under a new name and with cushy jobs for those already drawing fat pensions from the state.
Perhaps if it was made compulsory that all drivers were taught motorway etiquette this would reduce fatalities. This could be done on line, with click tests.
Often I see drivers pull out into on coming traffic or hogging the middle lane and driving too slow, resulting in other road users having to under take.
I contacted the Minister about these points but to no avail. Gardai are hopeless at penalising these bad drivers. Good to see the best they can come up with, is another layer of bureaucracy, at the cost of more lost lives.
Enforcing the law and taking a no-nonsense approach to phone use, speeding etc. would be the smart thing to do but no, this is Ireland.
In the interest of balance, can we please separate the HSE from the wider public many of whom depend on It?! Dublin will be like Detroit in a few years .. im amazed there wasnt a serious incident of violence in one if our hospitals during the covid era with the shutdown of some treatments
My experience of RSA ; some years ago my oil company were delivering €500 of kerosene. Truck was parked on main rd West Limerick; along comes Garda Patrol car RSA gets out carries out inspection of truck all in order , then checks drivers paperwork which was not properly completed €600 in fines . When I asked driver surely he could appeal these fines he said no as he did not expect any reduction.
So good riddance to RSA revenue collectors
I can’t see how this is going to improve on the 10+ driving test straight fails I regularly see on my 500m walk to the shop.
have your say