Galway councillor claims RSA messaging amounts to 'victim blaming' - 'Children are not killed because of a lack of high-vis vests'

"The motion also originally asked councillors to declare that the local authority had "no confidence in the RSA", and to demand that recommendations from the 2024 Indecon report be implemented immediately. Cllr Curran told the Irish Independent that his "no confidence" wording related to concerns that the RSA's messaging amounted to "victim blaming". Reviews in the Indecon report suggest "radical changes in the responsibilities for aspects of road safety" as well as "significant changes in the funding"."

"He added that without enforcement and clearer limits on driver behaviour, public appeals alone would not reduce deaths. "One of the things that kills on Irish roads is speeding. That's something that they should be using their influence with. "Without enforcement, without technical limitations on the speed that drivers can do, without them calling for 30kmh speed limits in our urban areas, and without them supporting infrastructural developments like separating pedestrians and cyclists from traffic," Cllr Curran added."

A Social Democrats councillor tabled a motion at Galway City Council requesting a Transport Minister response on default speed zones and rollout of red-light cameras across the city. The motion originally sought a council declaration of no confidence in the RSA and immediate implementation of recommendations from the 2024 Indecon report. The Indecon review recommends radical changes to road-safety responsibilities and significant funding adjustments and separation of education from driver training and oversight. The motion emphasized enforcement, technical speed limitations, 30km/h urban limits, and infrastructural measures to separate pedestrians and cyclists. Marketing appeals to drivers were characterized as ineffective without enforcement.

Read at Irish Independent