merrion street

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Shane Ross, has welcomed assurances from An Garda Síochána that road traffic enforcement will continue during the current coronavirus outbreak. 

During a meeting with Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan T.D.  and key road safety stakeholders, Minister Ross discussed the need to ensure that there would be no loss of focus on road safety during the viral outbreak.  An Garda Síochána, like all stakeholders, has engaged in contingency planning to ensure that services will continue throughout the current situation.

Speaking today, Minister Ross said

we are all aware that the COVID 19 virus has been spreading with, sadly, the first confirmed death from the virus in Ireland today.  Everyone has a responsibility to follow the advice given by the HSE in order to reduce the risk of transmission, and I advise people who are concerned to check the HSE’s website for information.  At the same time, the Government is of course taking prudent measures to ensure that we continue to provide the services the public expect during this period.  In this context, I was very pleased to hear from the Garda Síochána and other key organisations that there will be no loss of focus on road safety during the time when we are dealing with this viral outbreak.  We need to remember that saving lives always matters, especially after a particularly disappointing month for road deaths in February of this year.

Minister Ross also took the opportunity to express his thanks to Ms Moyagh Murdock, who will shortly be stepping down after almost seven years as CEO of the Road Safety Authority.  The Minister paid tribute to Ms Murdock for her support for drink driving legislation, and her work in bringing so many people to work together to bring down deaths on our roads.