The Government has approved the drafting of two new bills aimed at improving road safety and modernizing the vehicle tax system.
Roads Bill 2024: This bill will allow local authorities to access road collision data from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána (AGS). The goal is to identify and invest in areas prone to accidents, helping to achieve the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 target of reducing road fatalities by 50% this decade and achieving Vision Zero (no deaths or serious injuries on roads) by 2050.
National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2024: This bill will eliminate the need for paper tax discs, as AGS already has digital access to motor tax information. It will also enhance data protection for vehicle and driver information, remove the end date for non-use declarations of vehicles, and correct technical issues in existing laws.
Ministers Eamon Ryan and James Lawless highlighted the importance of these bills in reducing road accidents and modernizing the motor tax system, making it more efficient and convenient for motorists.
Recently, a Ministerial Order under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 was signed to facilitate data sharing between the RSA and AGS, ensuring compliance with GDPR.