Hauliers urge councillors to submit no confidence motion in RSA
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) is calling on county councillors nationwide to follow Kerry County Council in submitting a motion of no confidence in the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
In a letter sent to councillors across the country, IRHA president Ger Hyland announced that the association is backing the motion, and outlined reasons for its position.
Hyland said: "Supporting a motion of no confidence is not about politics, it is about responsibility, accountability, and public safety".
"Change is never easy. However, allowing the RSA to continue repeating the mistakes of the past two decades is a failure of leadership.
"It sends a clear message that we are prepared to turn our backs on road safety, rural transport, and the young people we depend on to build our homes, staff our businesses, and sustain our communities."
Indecon report
According to Hyland, Kerry County Council's decision to bring the motion of no confidence "reflects growing concern across local government about the effectiveness, governance, and accountability of the RSA at a time of escalating road deaths".
The IRHA president referred to a independent external review of the RSA carried out by Indecon Economic Consultants in November 2024, which led to government proposals to split the authority in two.
The proposals called for one section focusing on the delivery of road safety customer services - such as the NCT and driver testing services - and the second section concentrating on raising public awareness around road safety.
“Following the publication of the Indecon Report last year, the government, under then-Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, accepted all its recommendations and committed to substantive reform of the RSA,” Hyland said.
“However, just before Christmas, the current Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, announced that the recommendations of the Indecon Report would not be implemented.
"This decision represents a significant retreat from evidence-based policy and reform that had already been agreed by government.”
Hyland said that this decision will have “serious consequences, continued dysfunction within the driving test system, worsening road safety outcomes, and the ongoing operation of a publicly funded body that has been widely criticised as unfit for purpose”.
Driver testing
Hyland’s letter also discusses the RSA’s record on testing drivers.
“The IRHA has consistently warned that delays and inefficiencies in driver training and testing alongside broader operational failures within the RSA impose real and measurable costs on businesses, drivers, and rural communities,” he said.
“Figures obtained by the Irish Road Haulage Association under the Freedom of Information Act show that, as of the end of September 2025, there were 394,128 learner permit holders on Irish roads.
“This represents a clear and present danger to all road users and is a stark indicator of a testing system so overwhelmed that it will take years to clear existing backlogs.”
Hyland goes on to cite that many of these learner drivers are “young people living in rural Ireland”.
“They rely on their cars to get to college, construction sites, farms, and workplaces, all while paying exorbitant insurance premiums,” he said.
“Driver test delays and unnecessary bureaucracy are having a profound and damaging impact on rural communities.”
Hyland also mentioned the backlog on testing truck drivers.
He said: “Department of Transport figures show increases of 42% for truck tests and 40% for articulated truck tests between April and June 2025.
"This created serious shortages of qualified drivers, affecting agriculture, small businesses, school transport, and the wider rural economy.”
Fatalities
According to the Garda Síochana, there has already been four fatalities on Irish roads in 2026.
A recent report published by the RSA showed that a total of 185 people lost their lives in 174 fatal collisions on public roads during 2025, compared to 171 deaths in 157 fatal collisions in 2024.
This represents an increase of 14 fatalities, or an 8% rise, year-on-year.
