Overhaul of driving test curriculum on the cards, as road deaths spiral

An overhaul of the driving test curriculum is on the cards, the chairwoman of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said, a move that will be seen as part of a response to an increase in road deaths this year.

Liz O’Donnell said the requirements to pass the driving test have not changed for more than a decade, despite significant changes in the driving environment in Ireland.

“There have been a lot of changes,” she said, noting that e-scooters and e-bicycles are prevalent now and that motorway driving is a bigger factor throughout the country.

The new driving test introduced in 2011 was more onerous than previous versions. For example, learners are required to take 12 “essential driving lessons” with a qualified instructor before they are allowed to take the test.

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The number of deaths on the roads up to November 9th, 2023 had reached 165 which is higher than the total number of 155 deaths last year.

Ms O’Donnell said it was her view road safety has remained a key priority for the Government despite it not being the singular responsibility of a senior minister since 2020. In the 2016-2020 government road safety was the responsibility of the minister for transport Shane Ross but, since then, it has been the responsibility of “super junior” ministers.

Hildegarde Naughton of Fine Gael had the role between 2020 and December 2022 with Jack Chambers of Fianna Fáil assuming the role from early 2023. Both Mr Chambers and Ms Naughton are “super junior” ministers who sit at the Cabinet table.

Ms O’Donnell said she was not “unduly concerned” that road safety was a delegated function.

“There is a whole-of-Government approach to road safety, involving the Minister for Transport [Eamon Ryan], the Minister for Justice [Helen McEntee] and the Minister of State for Road Safety [Mr Chambers].”

She said the 10-year strategy for road safety, published in 2021, set out a clear path and had the full commitment of other departments such as health and education, as well as many State agencies.

The 2021-2030 strategy undertook to halve the number of road deaths within a decade.

Ms O’Donnell said the strategy was strong but would require enforcement to ensure its goals of dramatically reducing road deaths were achieved. She welcomed the commitment given by Mr Chambers to make 1,500 additional hours each month available for the “Go Safe” speed detection vans between now and the end of the year.

She said that putting in new vans and cameras that captured the average speeds of vehicles between two points (as is in place in the Port Tunnel and on the M7 Motorway) were highly effective but cost an average of €50,000 each.

“All of these measures cost money but will be necessary to reverse the trends,” she said.

In terms of challenges with enforcement, she referred to the situation in the An Garda Síochána where Commissioner Drew Harris does not have the personnel resources to put dedicated traffic units on the road.

Ms O’Donnell said driver behaviour started to disimprove after the Covid lockdown. She cited the high number of fatalities that have occurred during weekends and the fact that a quarter of all fatalities are aged 16-25.

“Drugs are a really serious issue,” she said. “Gardaí are saying it’s almost as bad as drunk driving.”.

The Department of Transport said road safety was a “foremost priority” for Mr Ryan and Mr Chambers. It pointed out that both sat at the Cabinet and both have been “extremely concerned” at the rising trend in road fatalities over the past year.

“To this end, they have recently sought Cabinet approval for the Road Traffic Measures Bill 2023, which seeks to introduce urgent provisions to improve safety on our roads.”

Sinn Féin spokesman on Transport Martin Kenny said the main issue for road safety was not the status of the responsibility within Government, or even with new laws, rather the lack of enforcement.

“There is no point in having strong laws for road safety unless there is enforcement,” he said.

He said a properly resourced traffic division within An Garda Síochána was needed.

Mr Chambers’ Bill is being fast-tracked through the Oireachtas. Measures proposed in the Bill include mandatory drug testing at the scene of a collision and a reduction in speed on national and urban roads.