Campaigner calls for Cabinet position for road safety
Superintendent Con O’Donohoe (left) with Neil Fox, Moyagh Mordock, CEO of the RSA, and Liz O’Donnell, chairperson, at the RSA World Day of Remembrance in Dublin. Picture. Robbie Reynolds
A man whose sister was killed in a road collision six years ago this week is calling for road safety to be given more clout at the Cabinet table because of the increase in road fatalities this year.
Donna Fox, 30, died in Dublin on September 6, 2016, while cycling to work. The incident involving a truck took place at traffic lights at a junction in the north inner city. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her brother Neil Fox has been involved in campaigning for road safety measures since her death.
According to figures from An Garda Síochána, 107 people have been killed on Irish roads between January 1 and last Friday, September 2.
This is up 14 on the same period in 2021, and up 18 on the same timeframe in 2020.
Mr Fox says the increasing deaths highlights a need to ensure that the minister with responsibility for road safety has a vote at Cabinet.
Currently, the position is a “super junior” ministry, held by Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. Although Ms Naughton has a seat at the Cabinet table, she does not have a vote.
The minister for transport of the day typically holds the responsibility for road safety. However, in the current government, road safety has a junior portfolio, held by Ms Naughton.
Mr Fox said: “She does sit at Cabinet but she sits in a junior role and does not have a voting right. Being at the Cabinet table is better than not being at it at all but she does not have the weight that a full Cabinet minister would have.”
He believes that a situation where the minister with responsibility for road safety does not have a Cabinet vote is a demotion for the area.
He said that the lack of a Cabinet vote for the minister with responsibility for road safety could lead to slowing down of processes around road safety.
He commended former minister for transport, Shane Ross, for having given road safety issues a lot of attention during his tenure.
Mr Fox said that the increases in recent years in road deaths is a cause for concern but acknowledged that the number of road deaths were much higher between 10 and 15 years ago.
He believes that a measure mooted last year by Galway TD Ciarán Cannon for a dedicated portal for gardaí to be able to assess video footage from cyclists in the event of a suspected road traffic offence should be considered.
He said such a measure should be pursued by the Department of Justice.
Mr Fox is currently involved in the Road Safety Authority’s Leading Lights awards and says nominations are now welcome for people, organisations or businesses committed to road safety measures.
