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Oct 13, 2023

Neil Fox: Government should never have taken road safety from Cabinet minister's portfolio

Gardaí near the scene of the crash in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, which claimed the lives of Tom Reilly, his wife Bridge Reilly and their grandson Tommy Reilly. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Gardaí near the scene of the crash in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, which claimed the lives of Tom Reilly, his wife Bridge Reilly and their grandson Tommy Reilly. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

After another crash has claimed three more lives, I think it is fair to say we all have had a collective 'oh my god, not again' moment.

It really has been breathtakingly awful these last few weeks.

The horror on our roads is not something abstract: it can happen to any of us or our loved ones, as we are all road users in one form or another. We all know people who walk, drive, cycle.

But, while we all grieve as a community when we hear about these awful tragedies, that won't stop these sorts of things from happening.

There needs be a strong political buy-in to turn the tide.

I again appeal directly to our government to immediately re-instate the portfolio of road safety to a Cabinet minister's position. For one thing, it might show a little respect in light of the carnage we have been seeing since the demotion of road safety since former Minister for Transport Shane Ross left office.

It is appalling that a country that only a few years ago was winning EU awards for its commitment to road safety has been at such an impasse for the last three years now. There is no excuse, and no patronizing response will stop me again calling this out.

Too many of us see road deaths as unfortunate and tragic but, on some level, inevitable. The reality is almost all are preventable with the right actions.

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We all have our own personal responsibility, and in no way is a government member responsible directly. I know that, like us all, the Taoiseach and his ministers are as shocked and saddened at this, so too those in RSA, but there needs to be renewed energy, focus, and action directed to our road safety efforts. It really is not good enough.

I lost my sister Donna seven years ago in a tragic collision in Dublin. It is always a strange few weeks in the run-up to her anniversary on September 6, but this year it is really like re-living it in a small way with the series of tragic crashes and accidents.

I am thinking of all the people who have had their worlds torn apart with the loss of their loved ones. In an instant, it is all turned upside down.

I don't know these people but I do know what it is like to be the receiver of such a knock. You absolutely never forget it, the furniture of your life is forever changed.

In my case, it was the horror of losing my beautiful kind vivacious sister Donna, who we lost in an instant.

Junior Minister Jack Chambers no doubt is as upset as the rest of us. I am glad that he is, in my view, more engaging and approachable than the last junior minister in that role. I look forward to engaging more with him, but I do nonetheless feel that the government has done us wrong by demoting road safety to a lesser position than it had.

The facts are the facts on this. It was given a junior place from a Cabinet/senior place whatever way they spin it.

Normally, I mark Donna's anniversary with the "Give Time, Give Space" campaign but this year it feels wrong in a way too. That said, given the enormous losses on our roads, it may be more necessary.

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