Call for waiver on crash report fees

A ROAD SAFETY group has advised relatives of those killed in crashes that they should request copies of investigation documents relating to the collision from the coroner, rather than the Garda.

Parc has been campaigning since 2008 for a waiver on the fees imposed by the Garda for the release of witness statements and crash report forms to relatives.

The force charges €21 for a copy of a witness statement and €41 for a sketch of the crash scene.

Parc spokeswoman Susan Gray said families trying to determine what happened in a collision can often face bills of several hundred euro for copies of the documents. She said one family which contacted Parc was charged almost €900 for photocopied documents.

The most up-to-date figures available, from 2009, show the Garda collected €3 million in revenue from abstract reports over the preceding six years. These funds go directly into the Garda budget. In October last year, the Garda Commissioner set up a working group to examine the “charges for abstract reports in the case of fatal traffic collisions”.

Ms Gray said almost one year later, no decision appeared to have been made and families continued to face the charges.

The statements and crash forms are also made available to insurers and legal teams connected with a case. Pending a Garda decision on charges, Ms Gray said Parc was now advising families to request copies of crash report forms and witness statements from the coroner in charge of the inquest.

“Parc would like to inform families that it has been brought to our attention that they can avoid these fees by requesting a copy of the Garda abstract report from the coroner, once the DPP has advised there is to be no prosecution, or where any criminal proceedings have been finalised,” she said. “At this stage, it is likely that the date for an inquest has been set down.

“In doing this, they can avoid these unfair and exorbitant charges at a time when they are already burdened with unexpected funeral expenses.”

She said having this information in advance of the inquest would allow relatives to be prepared in case they wanted to ask questions. Earlier this year, Noel Brett, Road Safety Authority chief executive, told an Oireachtas committee that “he believed that the era of charging people fees to access documentation must end”.