The Roads Bill 2024 will provide the necessary legislative basis to facilitate the flow of information so that local authorities, in their role as road authorities, may request, receive, and process road collision data from both the RSA and An Garda Síochána.

The data will enable road authorities to target areas where collisions are more prone to occur with investment and infrastructure, supporting the government’s plan to slash road fatalities by 50 per cent this decade and to zero by 2050.

The National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2024 will focus on a number of issues, including provisions to allow for the abolition of the requirement to display a motor tax disc. Gardaí already have immediate digital access to motor tax information, making discs an “unnecessary validation of tax compliance”.

The legislation will also address GDPR concerns around access to vehicle and driver data, remove end date of declarations of non-use of a motor vehicle, and provide for some technical corrections to existing legislation.

The National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) is the central register of vehicles and drivers, a database maintained by the Department of Transport. The NVDF is widely used by state agencies, including the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána for a variety of road safety purposes.

Transport minister Eamon Ryan said: “The flow of collision data to local authorities is an important tool in reducing the terrible trend of rising road fatalities we have witnessed over the last number of years. This data will enable the local authorities to target areas where collisions are continuing to occur with investment.

“This builds on the important work we are already undertaking in response to accidents on our roads. The NVDF Bill will provide for a more robust and data-secure legislative basis underpinning the national vehicle driver file, modernising the motor tax system and getting rid of the need for paper discs on our windscreens, in line with most other European countries.”

James Lawless, minister of state for transport, said: “I am pleased by cabinet’s decision to approve the drafting of both bills earlier today.

“The Roads Bill 2024 will ensure that we have a sound legal basis to provide local authorities with data they require to reduce the dangers on our roads. Every life lost is one too many. This bill will strengthen our response to the trends that unfortunately so many of our citizens have been impacted by.

“The NVDF Bill abolishing the requirement for motor tax discs is a natural next step towards modernising our systems and improving outcomes for citizens. Using technology to allow digital versions of tax discs will provide for a paperless system, being convenient for motorists and more efficient all round.”