Road Safety and Research

Road Safety Authority (RSA)
Website :  http://www.rsa.ie/  e-mail :  info@rsa.ie

• Institutional Organisation of Road Safety        
• Statistics & In-Depth Analysis
• Media Campaigns
• Driver Education/Training
• Driver Licensing 
• Vehicles & Vehicle Testing 
• Driver Rehabilitation/Relicensing & Diagnostics    

Garda National Traffic Bureau (GNTB)
Website :  http://www.garda.ie/   e-mail :    gntb@iol.ie

• Enforcement

Department of Transport & Marine

Website : http://www.transport.ie/  e-mail :    info@transport.ie

• Infrastructure on Regional and on Local Roads

National Roads Authority (NRA)
e-mail :    info@nra.ie

• Infrastructure on National Primary Roads  (M1 to M50 and N1 to N32)
• Infrastructure on National Secondary Roads (N51 to N87)

The NRA is committed to the twin objectives of providing a safe and an efficient network of national roads.  Improved roads and the elimination of traffic congestion blackspots contribute to a more efficient transport system.  In addition, the design and construction of new road schemes to best practice standards helps reduce road collisions and fatalities.  The better safety record of motorways and dual carriageways, compared with the sections of two-lane National Road they will replace, has the potential to reduce road collision fatalities by over 50 persons annually with the planned completion of the major inter-urban network of motorways and dual carriageways by 2010.

In addition to constructing improved roads, the NRA, through the Road Safety Section, have an extensive road safety agenda aimed at reducing the number of collisions occurring on the network of National Roads. 

Targets for collision reductions over the years 2004-2006 were set out in the Government's "Road to Safety" strategy, see link on the Department of Transport website - http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=5905&lang=ENG&loc=397%20

The NRA achieved all its targets in that strategy, and are currently working with the RSA on the new Road Safety Strategy which covers the years 2007-2012. 

The new Road Safety Strategy is available from the RSA website (http://www.rsa.ie/) or at http://www.rsa.ie/NEWS/upload/File/822_RSA_Strategy_ENG.pdf

The work of the Road Safety Section can be considered under the following headings:

Engineering Countermeasures:
The main emphasis in this programme is on identification of collision clusters on the network of National Roads and implementation of appropriate engineering countermeasures to try to prevent further collisions, or reduce the incidence of collisions, at these locations.

:
Road safety audit involves the evaluation of new road schemes during design and construction to identify potential hazards that may affect any type of road user, and to agree the appropriate measures to eliminate or mitigate any such hazards.

Traffic Calming:
Traffic calming schemes funded by the NRA are specifically aimed at slowing traffic through towns and villages on National Roads and thereby reducing collisions.

Research:
Research on the engineering aspects of road safety, is the responsibility of the Road Safety Section.