Publication
Road User Safety Forum: Call for expressions of interest
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Location: Dublin offices of the Road Safety Authority or Department of Transport
Number of Vacancies: up to 10
Remuneration: Nil but travel and expenses will be paid at the appropriate civil service rate.
Time Requirements: It is planned to hold up to three meetings of the group in the second half of 2024, and one meeting at the start of 2025 each running for up to three hours.
Term: The initial term will be for a period of approximately six months to help develop the Government’s Road Safety Strategy Phase 2 Action Plan, which is expected to be published in early 2025
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 was launched in December 2021. This Strategy has set ambitious targets for reductions in deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 2030 and 2050. Within the period of the current Strategy, the primary aim is to halve deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads this decade. In the longer term, the Strategy aims to bring Ireland closer to achieving Vision Zero by 2050, which is the aspiration to move as close as possible to zero deaths or serious injuries. Vision Zero has been adopted as a road safety policy objective at both the national and European level.
The Strategy is divided into three distinct delivery phases, each supported by its own Action Plan. Actions are implemented across a wide range of organisations, each of which have a road safety or crash response purview. The RSA is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of the Strategy.
Oversight of the strategy is provided by the Road Safety Transformation Partnership Board (comprising senior officials from the lead partner organisations). The Road Safety Transformation Programme in the RSA coordinates the development and delivery of the strategy Action Plans, including monitoring and reporting on how actions and safety performance indicators are progressing.
Phase 1, which runs from 2021 to 2024, is now nearing completion and activities are underway to prepare a new Action Plan for Phase 2, which will run from 2025 to 2027. It is expected that this Action Plan will be published in early 2025.
As an integral component of the efforts to shape the Phase 2 Action Plan, we are in the process of establishing the Road User Safety Forum (RUSF). This forum will serve as an independent consultative body aimed at providing insights and assistance for the formulation of the Phase 2 Action Plan of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.
The main function of the Forum is to provide insight and road user advice which may assist with decision making on prioritising road safety actions.
Members of the RUSF will include people who represent a variety of users of the road network in Ireland as well as road safety advocates.
The Forum will primarily be tasked with providing insight and road user advice for the development of the Action Plan.
The discussions of the forum will facilitate the representation of a wide variety of viewpoints from road users and road safety advocates.
The Terms of Reference for the RUSF, setting out the key responsibilities of the RUSF in greater detail, can be viewed here.
The Minister for Transport and Road Safety Authority invite applications from suitably qualified candidates who would bring a range of knowledge and skills to the meetings of the Road User Safety Forum . It is proposed that the Forum will include up to 10 members from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Appointments will be made with regard to diversity on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, urban/rural representation, age, experience and expertise and it is intended that there is a balance of skills and experience within the Group. Previous committee experience is not a necessary requirement.
While not exhaustive, expressions of interest are invited from members of the public who consider that they have the skills or experience that will enable them to make a contribution to the work of the Forum in the areas of:
• Road safety advocacy
• Active travel
• Accessibility and inclusion
• Enforcement
• Emergency services and first response
• Motorists
• Driving for Work
• Young people
• Older people
• Rural Communities
The Road Safety Authority will facilitate the Road User Safety Forum. In its roles as facilitator, the RSA will be responsible for ensuring that meetings of the forum are effective, efficient and held in a mutually respectful way at all times.
Findings and recommendations from the RUSF will be reported to the Road Safety Transformation Partnership Board, which is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy. The RSA will assume responsibility for coordinating this crucial activity, ensuring that the insights and feedback generated by the forum are effectively communicated to the RSTPB.
Given the wide-ranging nature of the Forum and perspectives on road safety issues, individuals may be qualified to sit on the Forum in a variety of ways. Specifically, in their applications, applicants should demonstrate expertise, knowledge and/or skills in at least one of the following areas:
1. Representing and advocating for road safety victims and victims’ families
2. Representing cyclists’ interests
3. Representing pedestrians’ interests
4. Experience of road traffic legislation enforcement and roads policing, either in urban or rural setting.
5. Direct experience of first response at road traffic collisions in their professional life.
6. Representing the interests of motorists and/or driving for work.
7. Representing the interests of young people, particularly in relation to road safety issues.
8. Representing the interests of older persons, particularly in relation to road safety issues.
9. Representing the interests of rural communities, particularly in relation to rural road safety issues.
It is desirable that candidates can demonstrate experience of one or more of the following:
• Experience working in areas relevant to public policy, advocacy or strategy development
• Knowledge of road safety issues
• Knowledge of the broader transport sector
Appointments to the Road User Safety Forum will be for an initial period of approximately 6 months during the development of the Phase 2 Action Plan.
While individuals are invited to submit expressions of interest to join the Forum, we welcome the representatives of advocacy or other interest groups also. For groups wishing to be involved in the Forum, we encourage you to submit an expression of interest for a member of behalf of your group. If applying on behalf of a group, please indicate this in your cover letter.
Once you consider the general suitability criteria for membership of the Road User Safety Forum, you should consider carefully how your background and experience fits with the one or more of the specific essential requirements for membership. Please carefully consider if there may be any potential conflict of interest and address this in your cover letter. The Assessment Panel may decide, based on the level of conflict, not to forward your name for consideration.
Applicants should submit a short curriculum vitae and a cover letter (one page) to
roadusersafetyforum@transport.gov.ie no later than 5.00pm on Friday 14 June.
Please also state what accommodations may assist you in being part of this process.
Please take care when submitting your expression of interest. As the Assessment
Panel will generally make its recommendation(s) based on consideration of the
information that you submit, it is most important that you ensure your cover letter (and supporting CV) clearly states how your particular background and experience meets the requirements for membership of the Forum. This will help ensure that the Assessment Panel is as informed as possible which on why you are applying.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email roadusersafetyforum@transport.gov.ie
An Assessment Panel comprising representatives from the Department of Transport and Road Safety Authority will consider and assess the applications received.
The Panel will:
• Review the applications received and compare them with the requirements for membership; and,
• Consider the diversity of applicants with regard to gender, ethnicity,
urban/rural representation, age, experiences and expertise to ensure that
there is a balance of skills within the Forum
The Assessment Panel will make recommendations for appointment to the group the Minister for Transport with responsibility for road safety.
Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.
Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, are extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.
Please note that your cover letter and curriculum vitae will be forwarded to the Road Safety Authority and may be retained for up to one year for unsuccessful candidates and for two years for successful candidates.