€44m Road Safety Authority ad spend questioned as Government adds €18m more for awareness campaigns

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Independent Sligo Councillor Marie Casserly has called for a fundamental shift in how Ireland invests in road safety, arguing that future funding should be directed towards Garda resources and proven enforcement technology rather than additional advertising campaigns.

Recent reports reveal that the Road Safety Authority has already spent €44 million on advertising and public relations over the past five and a half years. In addition, the Government has allocated a further €18 million for awareness, education and promotional campaigns.

“Every road death is a tragedy, but given the number of people who have been killed on Irish roads during the same period, we have to ask whether continuing to spend millions more on advertising is the best use of public money,” said Cllr Casserly.

Cllr Casserly acknowledged the importance of awareness campaigns but noted these campaigns have little impact on reducing the number of fatalities.

“Education and awareness campaigns have an important role, but they have been a central part of road safety policy for years. Drivers already know the speed limits and understand the dangers of speeding, drink driving, drug driving, mobile phone use and failing to wear a seatbelt. Despite this significant investment in awareness, road deaths remain at an unacceptably high level.”

Cllr Casserly expressed the view that the most effective way to change driver behaviour is to have a greater degree of visible enforcement on the country’s road network.

“If we are serious about saving lives, we must invest more in what is proven to change driver behaviour. That means more Garda Roads Policing Units, more visible enforcement, and faster rollout of technologies such as average speed cameras, red-light cameras and other modern enforcement systems.”

“Every euro invested in road safety should be directed towards measures that deliver the greatest reduction in deaths and serious injuries. Continuing to spend millions more on advertising while Garda resources remain stretched and proven enforcement technologies are rolled out too slowly is difficult to justify.”

“Road deaths are a national emergency. It is time to rebalance our investment towards enforcement, technology and Garda resources. Lives will be saved through consistent enforcement and the certainty of detection, not by another advertising campaign.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.