Minister open to all road safety options

Helen McEntee said the Government will do everything possible to turn around a 'worrying trend' in road accidents and fatalities in recent weeks and months.

An overhaul of speed limits, changes to the penalty points system and tougher sentences for road traffic offences are all under consideration as part of measures to reduce road deaths.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said the Government will do everything possible to turn around a "worrying trend" in road accidents and fatalities in recent weeks and months.

"Everything that can be done will be done here and it is about educating people, but it is also about ensuring we have the right policies in place and that of course there is strong enforcement where people do break the law," Ms McEntee said.

A number of Ministers, including Ms McEntee and Minister of State Jack Chambers, are now working on a number of measures to address road safety, with a report on speed limits due to go to Cabinet soon.

Asked about a possible tightening of penalty points, Ms McEntee said: "I would be supportive of any change that I think would change people's behaviour. We have seen in the past where legislation has been changed, where penalty points have been introduced for certain types of offences it has actually changed people's behaviour, we have seen reductions in those types of offences."

Ms McEntee said huge progress has been made in recent years, but the number of fatalities has started to again creep up since covid.

She said a multi-agency and multi-departmental approach is now required, which will include increased enforcement by the gardaí.

"Myself and the garda commissioner have agreed to allocate an additional €1.2m for GoSafe vans specifically, that's an increase of 20% or 1,500 hours of GoSafe vans being around the country, the sole intention is to catch people speeding but also to try to change and to amend people's behaviours.

"I have said consistently I want more gardaí out on the beat doing their job, obviously where they go to then is a matter for the garda commissioner," she said.

Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said it is logical to increase the number of penalty points awarded to drivers based on the number of offences committed.

Mr Harris said that the recent string of accidents had brought “tragedy and pain to so many communities”.

Responding to reports that the penalty points system could be changed to allow points to be awarded for multiple offences and not just the more severe offence, Mr Harris said that there was “logic” to the proposal.