While the crackdown on dangerous e-scooter use is a welcome decision by the government, Ireland South MEP Ní Mhurchú says we need to delve deeper if we are to truly address the increasing number of accidents on Irish roads, which are rising at an alarming rate.
The minimum age for e-scooter use is being raised to 18, with helmets also becoming compulsory as well as vehicle registration. This decision comes after 30 children being admitted to hospital with traumatic brain injuries between May 2024 and June 2026.
Ní Mhurchú believes that it shouldn’t take more serious injuries to get to the root of the problem of rising road deaths in Ireland, which she believes is a lack of clarity when it comes to the role of the Road Safety Authority.
Is the Road Safety Authority fit for purpose?
As it stands, the RSA is responsible for driver testing and licensing, overseeing vehicle standards through regular tests such as the NCT, and advising the government on road safety policy.
This means that the RSA serves both an administrative and safety purpose.
The Fianna Fáil MEP believes that an entire agency should be created that is solely focused on reducing the number of collisions and accidents on Irish roads, and that this would mean the splitting of the RSA into two independent agencies.
Now is the time, the Fianna Fáil MEP says that the RSA should split its road safety remit from its NCT and driver licences remit.
“These are two distinct demanding areas of responsibility and require different policies and expertise. Which one is being prioritised? The Indecon Economic Consultants Report which recommended RSA Reform and splitting the organisation, showed a clear conflict of focus between the RSA’s operational functions and road safety policy delivery.”
MEP Ní Mhurchú is disappointed that government rejected to split up the RSA earlier this year, and says that the alarmingly high number of incidents in recent months should serve as a call to action. She hopes the issue will be revisited by the government.
As of 31 July, 108 people have lost their lives on Irish roads in the year 2026.
This is in comparison to 93 fatalities at the same time last year.
Tackling e-scooters and banning scrambler bikes in public places only addresses a tiny part of the issue, and Ní Mhurchú says that a cultural and systemic shift is needed to reverse this alarming upward trend of road fatalities.
As a member of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, she sees this as a matter of urgency that must be addressed sooner rather than later. Despite previous pushbacks against splitting the Road Safety Authority into two entities, she says it needs reconsidering.
The long-term EU goal is to move as close as possible to zero fatalities in road transport by 2050, which it calls Vision Zero.
Ireland needs to take concrete action now if it wants to meet this target.
