'No single solution to wrong-way driving,' cttee to hear
There is "no single standalone solution" to wrong-way driving on motorways, the Oireachtas Committee on Transport will be told, while the RSA will outline how two of the three fatal motorway collisions this year involved vehicles travelling in the wrong direction.
The Oireachtas Committee on Transport is set to hear that there is no single solution to wrong-way driving on motorways. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) will report that two of the three fatal motorway collisions this year involved vehicles traveling in the wrong direction. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) projects that an average of 77 wrong-way driving incidents occur annually between 2021 and 2025, though the actual figure may be higher due to underreporting or undetected incidents.
TII's Director of Network Management, Pat Maher, will state that while engineering measures can help prevent and detect wrong-way driving, these measures will not deter an intent driver. He will describe such behavior as a societal problem that requires more than just engineering or technological solutions. Maher will mention the installation of warning signs at motorway off-slips and the trial of radar detection systems linked to variable message signs.
The agency is also evaluating CCTV, radar, lidar, and thermal imaging systems to detect wrong-way drivers and warn other motorists. Additionally, TII is exploring a cloud-based warning system that could alert both the offending driver and approaching motorists via connected vehicle technology and motorway control centers. However, Maher will acknowledge that the timeline for widespread deployment of these technologies remains unclear.
The RSA will emphasize the significant risk wrong-way driving poses, as it can lead to fatal or serious injuries due to high-speed head-on collisions. RSA CEO Sam Waide will note that seven people have died in three motorway collisions so far this year, with three drivers and four passengers killed in each incident, all male. Two of these collisions involved drivers traveling in the wrong direction.
Waide will also mention that the RSA does not receive information from An Garda Síochána regarding whether wrong-way collisions result from driver error or risk-taking. The RSA is currently running a public awareness campaign advising motorists on how to respond if they encounter a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction.
Written by urgent.news from RTE News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
