LAST UPDATE | 9 Jul

THE GOVERNMENT IS to receive recommendations on the future of the Road Safety Authority in the coming weeks, according to Finance Minister Jack Chambers. 

Chambers, who was previously Minister of State in the Department of Transport, said today that a body of work is currently underway around the future of the RSA. 

Chambers’ comments came in response to the news of the death of a woman in her 70s following a two-vehicle collision in Waterford this morning. 

The collision, involving a truck and a car, happened at around 9.20am on the N25 at Garranbane, near Dungarvan in Co Waterford.

The driver of the car, a woman in her 70s, was treated by emergency services at the scene but later died from her injuries.

The driver of the truck meanwhile has been taken to Waterford University Hospital where he is receiving treatment for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.

The road is closed as an examination by Forensic Collision Investigators is currently under way at the scene and local diversions remain in place.

Any road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were travelling in the area at the time of the collision are asked to make this footage available to gardaí.
 
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Dungarvan Garda Station on 058 48600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

It’s the 100th road fatality so far this year, 13 higher than the same period in 2023.

“My condolences are with the woman who lost her life in that accident,” the Finance Minister said.

“100 lives lost on our road this year, a shocking continuation of the trend that we saw last year.

“We passed important road safety legislation earlier on this year, some of which has commenced, some of which will make really important impact later on this year in the context of changing the baseline of speed limits we’ve seen nationwide,” he said.

“There is work ongoing between the Department of Transport and all local authorities on progressing that so we’ll have a much safer baseline speed limit and addressing the inconsistency and fragmentation that we’ve had in our country for far too long.

“Secondly, there is a body of work around the future of the Road Safety Authority. I understand that there are interim recommendations, which could be brought to government in the coming weeks, which will examine how the RSA can be best placed to fulfil its remit for road safety in future,” he added.

Ireland still has one of the lowest road fatality rates per million inhabitants in the EU, with only the Nordic countries, Germany and The Netherlands doing better.

However, recent European Commission figures earlier revealed that Ireland is also among a minority of countries where road deaths increased last year relative to 2022.

There was a 19% increase in road deaths here last year, when 184 people lost their lives. 

With reporting from Jane Matthews