The Minister for Transport has responsibility for the development of road safety policy and legislation. The current policy framework for road safety is set out in the Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020(link is external). The Department of Transport also provides funding to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS).
The Department has a dedicated Road Safety Division. If you have a query that relates to the policy/legislation associated with driver licensing, driver testing, vehicle standards, traffic signs manual, motor insurance or road traffic legislation, you can e-mail the Road Safety Division directly atroadsafety@dttas.ie(link sends e-mail)
If you have a query that relates to the day-to-day operation of related services or the improvement/maintenance of the road infrastructure, you may need to contact your local authority or one of our Departments Agencies.
The Traffic Signs Manual 2010 is available to view in Chapters.
Disabled Parking Scheme new information
Following a review of the Disabled Parking Scheme undertaken by the Department in 2010, new rules for eligibility for the Scheme from 1 June 2011 will ensure that it better benefits those with significant mobility impairments. As of 1 June 2011, the criteria for eligibility for a Disabled Persons Parking Permit are revised to specify that they are available to persons who, whether drivers or passengers, have a permanent condition or disability that severely restricts his or her ability to walk.
Irelands Disabled Parking Scheme operates under the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, as amended in 2011. Permits are granted to eligible persons, whether drivers or passengers. These permits permit holders to park in disabled parking bays. Only a vehicle displaying a disabled person’s permit is allowed to park in a disabled person’s parking bay, and the vehicle must be parked for the convenience of the permit holder. Permits are issued by both the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association. Details of how to apply may be found on the websites of these organisations at www.iwa.ie(link is external) and www.ddai.ie(link is external). The permits have national application.
In line with the recommendations of the 2010 Review of the Scheme, amendments have already been made to the dimensions of disabled parking bays to provide for wider parking bays. The new dimensions are set out in Chapter 7, page 109, of the Traffic Signs Manual 2010.
The form of the permit (commonly referred to as the Blue Parking Card) complies with EU Recommendation 98/376/EC, which allows for its recognition in other EU member states. Irish legislation in this regard extends to disabled person’s parking permits issued by other countries provided the permit contains the recognised pictorial symbol of a person sitting in a wheelchair.