Sinn Féin spokesperson on Transport and Communications, Martin Kenny TD, has expressed his concern at the continuing loss of life on Irish roads.

His comments come as road fatalities in 2024 have now reached 35, after the death of a young man in a collision in Cork over the weekend.

Speaking today, Teachta Kenny said:

“First and foremost, I want to extend my thoughts and sympathies to the families, friends and communities of the 35 people who lost their lives on Irish roads since the start of the year.

“We have reached crisis levels of collisions and indeed fatalities on our roads over the last year or so.

“I commend the work of the Garda Roads Policing Unit in their detection and enforcement work, however they are constrained by a lack of adequate resourcing. That resourcing shortage lies with the Minister for Justice and Minister for Transport.

“These collisions are multi-factor events and we need a multi-agency approach to tackling the upsurge.

“This means increased funding for education and communication in the RSA, a supplementing of the Garda Roads Policing Unit resources, and ultimately a reinstatement of the €150m cut from the road safety and maintenance budget.

“Road safety needs to become a real priority for this government, and that requires resourcing.”