'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.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will tell the committee this morning that an average of 77 wrong-way driving incidents were recorded each year between 2021 and 2025.

TII's Director of Network Management Pat Maher will say the actual number is likely to be higher as not all incidents are reported or detected.

Mr Maher will say engineering measures can help prevent and detect wrong-way driving, but "these measures will not deter a driver who is intent on driving the wrong way".

He will describe intentional wrong-way driving as a "societal problem" that "cannot be solved by engineering or technological solutions alone".

He will say road-traffic enforcement and "appropriate deterrents" are also needed.

TII has installed warning signs at motorway off-slips and has trialled radar detection systems linked to variable message signs.

It is now assessing CCTV, radar, lidar and thermal imaging systems to detect wrong-way drivers and warn other motorists.

TII is also examining a cloud-based warning system which could alert both the offending driver and approaching motorists through connected vehicle technology and motorway control centres.

However, Mr Maher will say the timeline for widespread deployment of these technologies remains unclear.

He will say monitoring a motorway network with more than 200 junctions and around 800 entry and exit points is a "considerable" challenge.

The RSA will also tell the committee that wrong-way driving carries a "significant risk of fatal or serious injury" because of the possibility of high-speed head-on collisions.

Its CEO Sam Waide will say seven people have died in three motorway collisions so far this year up to 16 September.

He will say three drivers and four passengers were killed, all male, with five people dying in one collision.

"Two of these collisions involved a driver who was travelling in the wrong direction on the motorway," Mr Waide will say.

Mr Waide will also say the RSA does not receive information from An Garda Síochána on whether wrong-way collisions resulted from driver error or risk-taking.

The RSA is running a public awareness campaign advising motorists what to do if they encounter a vehicle travelling in the wrong direction.