Lower speed limits and mandatory drug testing among new measures aimed at reducing road deaths

Lower speed limits in rural and urban areas, mandatory roadside drug testing, and the closing of loopholes in road traffic laws are included in legislation aimed at reducing deaths on Ireland’s roads.

The Cabinet signed off on the publication of the Road Traffic Bill 2023 at its meeting on Wednesday.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Jack Chambers said it had been a “horrendous and devastating year on the roads” and “so many families are grieving this Christmas without their loved ones.”

A total of 180 people have died on Ireland’s roads so far in 2023, compared to a total of 155 for all of 2022.

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The planned changes would mean the default speed limit on national secondary roads would be set at 80km/h, down from 100km/h.

It would drop from 80km/h to 60km/h on rural or local roads and from 50km/h to 30km/h on roads in built up areas.

Mr Chambers said it did not make sense for roads “with grass going up the middle” to have a speed limit of 80km/h and this was completely unsafe and inappropriate.

Local authorities would have flexibility to maintain higher speed limits on roads where it is safe to do so.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio, Mr Chambers said the aim of the legislation is to protect vulnerable road users.

He pointed out that so far this year 43 pedestrians had lost their lives and vulnerable road users needed to be protected. “That’s what we’re seeking to do here. For many people, they’re simply saving a few seconds to end up at a red light 100 metres down the road. Is that acceleration worth it when they could kill a pedestrian?”.

He said the legislation would “bring calmer, safer speed limits to protect people”.

The proposed law would also bring in mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious traffic collisions. At present gardaí must take a breath test for alcohol but they are not required to carry out drug testing.

Mr Chambers also said the law will allow gardaí to detain motorists while waiting for the results of a drug test – a process that takes around eight minutes – something they are not currently able to do.

The legislation also strengthens the penalty points system, ending the existing situation whereby if a motorist is caught committing multiple offences at once – for instance speeding while holding a mobile phone – they only receive one set of penalty points.

Under the plans separate sets of penalty points would apply to all offences committed by the driver.

The proposed law does not include previously flagged proposals to introduce increased penalty points for offences committed during bank holiday weekends.

Mr Chambers said this would be a “positive road safety measure” but said there was engagement with the Attorney General’s office and there’s “legal complexity” to drafting legislation to bring it in.

He said: “I had to make a decision whether we progress with the reforms we’ve presented today or whether we would delay this a further number of months to try and work a draft around that.

“So it hasn’t been possible to include it in this legislation.”

A total of 180 people have died on Ireland’s roads so far in 2023, compared to a total of 155 for all of 2022.

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