Seán Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for Road Safety and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has launched Phase Two of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030, which will run from 2025 to 2027.
The Strategy aims to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% over its lifetime, with the ultimate ambition of achieving Vision Zero — as close as possible to no deaths or serious injuries on our roads — by 2050.
Minister Canney highlighted the importance of a renewed and collective push: “Each road fatality is one too many. It is a tragedy for families and communities, and a reminder that road safety must remain a top priority. This Action Plan is about delivering real change — through education, enforcement, and investment — and I am committed to working with our partners to see it implemented in full.”
The Phase Two Action Plan builds on the foundations of Phase One (2021–2024) and includes 12 Primary Actions with the potential to deliver transformative impacts. These include:
Safer default speed limits
Greater use of camera-based enforcement and new technologies
A comprehensive, life-stage approach to road safety education
Increased data sharing across agencies
Ongoing investment in safe and sustainable transport options
The actions have been developed in consultation with a wide range of road safety stakeholders, including the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Transport Authority, HSE, Medical Bureau for Road Safety, Health and Safety Authority, the Courts Service, and the local government sector. A new Road User Safety Forum was also established to ensure that the voices of road users and safety advocates helped shape the plan.
Minister Canney added: “We are now at a pivotal moment. I share the view of the Garda Commissioner that a road safety reset is needed — and this Plan provides the roadmap. It is a shared responsibility, and I look forward to working with all partners to reduce risk, change behaviours, and ultimately save lives.”
The publication of the strategy comes as the RSA confirmed that driving test waiting figures have further reduced to 14.4 weeks, down from 27 weeks at the end of April.
