TRANSPORT MINISTER DARRAGH O’Brien says “sensitive engagement” with families of victims of road traffic accidents is needed before a ban on roadside memorials.

The Irish Daily Mail reported this morning that the Department of Transport is planning to ban memorials for victims of road traffic accidents on roads with speed limits of 60 kilometres per hour or above.

The policy has cited several reasons including potential distractions for road users and increased pedestrian activity in hazardous locations’ for the proposed ban.

Speaking today at the launch of the BusConnects Ballymun/Finglas to City Centre Scheme, the Minister said they are actually looking at “measures with regards to roads with speeds of 80 kilometres and more”. 

O’Brien confirmed that “a review is being done” and says he is “aware this is a really sensitive area for people, and particularly for families, that have family members or friends who’ve died in road traffic accidents”.

He said introducing the ban is “something that is being looked at through the national roads authority” and “sensitive engagement will be needed with families” but “there is no early decision”.

Fine Gael TD and transport committee chair Michael Murphy said he was not made aware of the policy in advance, and it “raises very serious questions about the level of engagement that took place”.

Murphy said it is “regrettable that this policy has emerged in the run-up to Christmas, a time that is especially difficult for families who have lost loved ones on our roads”.

“For many, grief is already heightened at this time of year, and the anxiety and uncertainty this now creates for families with existing memorials is upsetting.”

Murphy has also called for engagement with families on the policy and has urged the department and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to “pause, reflect and engage meaningfully with bereaved families, advocacy groups and public representatives”.

“They are not merely roadside features – they are expressions of grief and remembrance by families whose lives have been shattered by road tragedies”, he added. 

Increased garda enforcement and new lower speed limits on rural roads have been introduced to try to prevent road deaths. In 2025 as of mid-November, 158 people had been killed in road traffic collisions.

This is compared to 149 at the same point in 2024. 174 people died in road traffic accidents last year.

The first half of this year saw the highest number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in six years.

The RSA has called for a decrease in speed limits in urban areas.