AQW 52139/22-27


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 16/09/2026
Answered On Date: 06/10/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, following publication of the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy to 2030 Annual Statistical Report 2026, to detail (i) any assessment she has made of progress against the Strategy's four principal targets and 33 key performance indicators; (ii) which targets are currently off track; (ii) any additional interventions that will be introduced in response; and (iii) whether the Action Plan to 2027 will be revised.


Answer:
I have noted progress against the four principal targets and 33 key performance indicators contained in the Road Safety Strategy to 2030 Annual Statistical Report 2026.
The report (based on 2025 data) indicates that the target for reducing fatalities is on track. It also indicates that the targets for reducing serious injuries, child KSIs and young person KSIs are currently below target. However, the latest PSNI Road Traffic Collision Statistics for 2026 show that 48 people have been killed this year compared to 35 at the same date in 2025.
Having noted the position in the Annual Statistical reports, and the latest figures, I have committed £972,500 to enable the re-launch of key road safety advertising campaigns, ensuring that vital messages continue to reach road users while longer-term budget decisions are being considered.
The work of the Road Safety Action Plan to 2027 itself also continues at pace. I have prioritised those Strategic Interventions that will impact road safety across several areas, including amongst others, policy and legislation, enforcement, communication and awareness, and active travel.
Latest recent Key Strategic Interventions in the plan aimed at reducing number road users killed or seriously injured in the include:
The introduction Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) in October.
The Safer Journeys to Schools (SJS) programme to deliver measures to reduce fatalities and serious injuries involving schoolchildren when they are boarding or getting off buses.
Other planned key actions will be consultations on lowering the legal alcohol limit and modernising drug driving laws, preparing the way forward following the recent consultation on the illegal use of mobile phones when driving, examining options for increasing speeding fines, and the development of new scheme proposals on the Regional Strategic Transport Network, targeting those routes with highest collisions.
The Road Safety Action Plan to 2027 is currently due for review in March 2027. In the meantime, I will continue to monitor progress against agreed targets and react appropriately where possible.
I continue to work closely with other Departments and agencies to explore further opportunities to work together on road safety issues. In addition, through the Road Safety Strategic Forum, my officials continue to collaborate with ‘Blue Light’ organisations and other departments to progress the actions of the Road Safety Strategy.