Skip to main content

FTA Ireland wants tougher roadside enforcement to match new traffic laws

FTA Ireland has said it would like to see the proposed new traffic laws matched with an increased resource for roadside enforcement by the Gardai. The response from FTAI followed the announcement of the Road Traffic No.2 Act 2013, introduced to improve safety levels on Irish roads, outlined by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar earlier this week. The new traffic laws will include roadside impairment tests for drug driving; higher penalty points for speeding, mobile phone use and not we
February 21, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
FTA Ireland has said it would like to see the proposed new traffic laws matched with an increased resource for roadside enforcement by the Gardai.

The response from FTAI followed the announcement of the Road Traffic No.2 Act 2013, introduced to improve safety levels on Irish roads, outlined by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar earlier this week.  The new traffic laws will include roadside impairment tests for drug driving; higher penalty points for speeding, mobile phone use and not wearing seatbelts; and allows unconscious drivers to be tested.

“This Act focuses predominantly on the human factors in road safety by strengthening and extending the law in key areas. This includes a new category of novice driving licenses, higher penalty points in key areas, and the testing of unconscious drivers for intoxication,” Minister Varadkar said.

Neil McDonnell General Manager, FTA Ireland commented: “There is no doubt that these new traffic laws will improve road safety levels on Irish roads, but FTA Ireland would like to also see that the measures should be matched with an increased resource for roadside enforcement by Gardai.  We also believe that enforcement should go further and therefore, legislation must ensure severe penalties for drivers who fail to bring their driving licence to court- thereby avoiding the fixing of points to their licences.”

Related Content

  • Tri-nation cooperation on C-ITS Corridor
    June 20, 2016
    In the European C-ITS Corridor project, authorities from three countries are working with the automotive industry on the deployment of Cooperative (V2X) Systems. Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems/Services (C-ITS) has the potential to improve road safety, transport efficiency and environmentally friendly mobility, as well as creating additional services and new business models. A set of international standards have been developed to provide the technical basis for the deployment of Cooperative ITS.
  • Ramp metering delivers - again
    January 27, 2012
    Though still controversial, ramp metering, which has been around for nearly 50 years, continues to deliver substantial benefits, and generally for relatively small cost. Kansas City is a case in point. In March 2010, Kansas City Scout, a partnership between the Missouri and Kansas Departments of Transportation to provide ITS for the greater Kansas City Area, activated the first ramp metering system in the region. The project is located on an 8.85km (5.5 mile) section of Interstate 435 from Metcalf Avenue to
  • Automatic speed enforcement in Finland
    February 1, 2012
    In 2004, Finland extended its automatic speed enforcement from 280 to 800 road kilometres. Risto Öörni of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, explains the costs and the benefits. Automatic speed enforcement in Finland is operated by the police and is based on cameras installed on poles along main roads and mobile semi-automatic speed enforcement units installed in police cars.
  • IAM calls for greater focus on intelligence led drink drive enforcement
    August 8, 2014
    There should be greater use of intelligence-led policing to catch drink drivers who repeatedly and excessively flout the law, according to road safety charity Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The call from the IAM comes as new figures published by the Department for Transport show the number of fatal accidents involving drink drivers last year falling by five per cent, from 220 in 2011 to 210 in 2012. In the same period, the number of people killed in drink drive accidents decreased by four per cent,