Minister Canney publishes first National Safety Camera Strategy
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From: Department of Transport
- Published on: 29 April 2026
- Last updated on: 29 April 2026
Minister of State with responsibility for Road Safety, Seán Canney, today published Ireland’s first National Safety Camera Strategy. This provides the framework for increased deployment of cameras across the road network in urban and rural locations, and set out a new approach to the operation of safety cameras in Ireland.
“I am pleased to publish Ireland’s first National Safety Camera Strategy, which puts in place a framework through which we can expand the use of safety cameras across our road network. Tragically, we have seen an increase in serious injuries and fatalities on our roads in recent years. The use of safety cameras has been proven to reduce speeding and improve driver behaviour, and I am confident that safety cameras can help us achieve our Road Safety targets including working towards Vision Zero.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Road Safety, Seán Canney
The National Safety Camera Strategy sets out a partnership approach to camera deployment and enforcement between An Garda Síochána, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA)
The Strategy proposes that TII takes responsibility for the management of fixed and average speed cameras, in partnership with An Garda Síochána, who will continue to be responsible for the enforcement of camera-detected speed offences. The NTA will assume the primary responsibility - both management and enforcement functions - for urban traffic management offences. This approach was developed by an inter-agency working group led by TII and was agreed by the Road Safety Leadership Group chaired by Minister Canney, which is driving implementation of the Road Safety Strategy.
The Strategy aligns with Programme for Government Commitments to expand the use of safety cameras across the road network. It also delivers on part one of Action 6 of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy Phase 2 Action Plan.
“The deployment of safety cameras across the road network has been the primary responsibility of An Garda Siochána. The new approach as set out in the Strategy will ensure greater collaboration between key road safety stakeholders including An Garda Síochána, TII and the NTA and will build on the relationships already in place. We believe this will provide an effective structure through which we can make the most progress on the deployment of road safety camera systems in the near-term. I am confident that this approach will lead to positive road safety outcomes through changing driver behaviours and through enhancing enforcement of road traffic offences into the future.”
Minister of State, Seán Canney
“I welcome the publication of Ireland’s first National Safety Camera Strategy and the strong emphasis it places on partnership between agencies. Effective enforcement is a key pillar of road safety, and this Strategy provides a clear framework to strengthen the use of safety cameras in a way that is targeted, evidence-led and proportionate. Improved detection and enforcement of road traffic offences will promote better and safer driver behaviour and help protect all road users. The officials in my department will continue to work closely with their colleagues in the Department of Transport and relevant agencies to ensure the necessary legislative and operational supports are in place to deliver the objectives of the Strategy.”
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan
A Camera Enforcement Oversight Group comprising key stakeholders will be established to deliver the Strategy. Membership of the Camera Enforcement Oversight Group will include senior leaders from An Garda Síochána, the NTA, TII, RSA, the Courts Service and the Local Authority sector. The Group will have overall responsibility for progressing the Strategy at a high level, and will:
· Coordinate the activities of agencies involved in camera operation
· Collate, analyse and report on data on performance, such as compliance and payment rates
· Keep the Safety Camera Handbook up to date
· Undertake or task research to progress the goals of the proposed new structure
· Engage with Departments of Transport and Justice on legislative, policy and funding matters.
To ensure effective and efficient implementation of the Strategy, the Oversight Group will be delivery-focused and agree at its first meeting an immediate set of short-term actions to start implementation. The Group will report on its progress to Minister Canney and the Road Safety Leadership Group.
The National Safety Camera Strategy can be viewed at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/national-safety-camera-strategy/
ENDS
NOTE FOR EDITORS
The National Safety Camera Strategy seeks to define the optimal structures and partnerships across State agencies for delivering camera-based enforcement systems on Irish roads going forward, with the objective of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in line with the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021 – 2030. The development of this Strategy focussed primarily on cameras to detect speeding, red-light and bus-lane offences. However, it has been designed to be scalable to allow for the introduction of camera-based enforcement of other road traffic offences in the future, such as mobile phone usage and non-seat belt wearing.
An inter-agency working group was established in 2024, chaired by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the draft Strategy was submitted in May 2025. The Department conducted a series of bilateral meetings over the subsequent period with stakeholders who would be tasked with implementing the Strategy. These insights informed the deliberations and decisions by the Road Safety Leadership Group, Chaired by Minister Canney, in February of this year:
1. That the National Safety Camera Strategy’s Option 5 (Partnership of TII and NTA with An Garda Síochána) is the preferred option for delivering camera enforcement;
2. That a Camera Enforcement Oversight Group be established to progress the objective of the Strategy;
3. That the National Safety Camera Strategy report will be updated to reflect the above decisions and be published; and
4. That the Camera Enforcement Oversight Group will take overall responsibility for progressing the Strategy and that individual agencies and offices remain responsible for their core functions, including in the interim period before the Strategy is fully implemented.