Government inaction on road safety blasted with RSA called 'not fit for purpose'
With 190 deaths on Irish roads in 2025, one Dublin City councillor has blasted central government for “doing nothing” to address road safety concerns.
Green Party Councillor Ray Cunningham took to social media to outline his frustration about government inaction regarding urgent road safety reform. He stressed that “every time there is a mass shooting in America we shake our heads and wonder why nothing is done about it,” but the same can be said about those who die on Irish roads every year due to government negligence.
Garda figures reveal that 179 fatal collisions led to 190 deaths on Irish roads last year . This is up from 175 in 2024, with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) expressing concern about these rising figures.
Cllr Cunningham explained that there were several things the government was supposed to do that would have reduced these figures and helped save lives. One example of this was the scrapped plan to reduce speed default limits in urban areas from 50km to 30km per hour.
While this proposition had strong support behind it, the legislative changes needed to implement it nationally were deemed too complicated. Instead, the reduction of speed limits in urban areas has been left to the discretion of local authorities.
“If you’re hit by a car traveling at 30km per hour you’ve a much better chance of surviving than if you’re hit by a car traveling at 50km. We were supposed to see the default speed limit in built-up areas reduced to 30km last year, but that plan was scrapped,” Cllr Cunningham said.
Cllr Cunningham slammed the RSA as “not fit for purpose” and cited a 2024 independent review that recommended significant reform and potentially envisioning it as two separate bodies. “One would work on driver licensing and testing and the other would focus on road safety. That was supposed to happen in 2025, but it was also scrapped,” Cllr Cunningham said.
When contacted for comment, the Department of Transport stated that, despite choosing not to restructure RSA as two separate bodies, they agree there is a need for reform: "Having considered the recommendations of the 2024 Indecon review of the RSA, Minister O’Brien and Minister Canney have decided not to restructure the RSA and create two new entities," a spokesperson from the Department of Transport said.
"However, both Ministers are strongly of the view that change is still needed and that reform of the RSA within its current overall structure remains necessary. The Ministers believe that the RSA as an organisation employing less than 500 staff, is capable of being managed as a single entity. As Minister Canney has stated, it’s a matter of shaping it up rather than splitting it up. The Department is now developing proposals in this regard and these will be brought forward early in the new year."
Further measures to address the “epidemic of red light breaking in the city” were also delayed. Cllr Cunningham stressed that this would have made Dublin safer for both pedestrians and drivers alike, but it does not seem to be a priority for the government.
“There was supposed to be red traffic cameras rolled out across Dublin in 2025, it didn’t happen last year. Looks like it’s not going to happen this year either,” Cllr Cunningham said.
Cllr Cunningham was particularly critical of the appointment of Sean Canney as Minister of State for Road Safety. As a politician who voted against a bill calling for tougher penalties for drink-drivers in 2017, Cllr Cunningham took issue with Mr Canney being tasked with issues related to road safety.
Speaking at the time, Mr Canney said he believed the bill calling for a mandatory driving ban for all motorists caught over the alcohol limit was “disproportionate” in terms of the sanctions it imposed on those caught with low levels of alcohol in their system.
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