Fine Gael TD William Aird has called for high-visibility jackets to be made compulsory for “all pedestrians, cyclists and users of school transport” as a road safety measure.
The Laois TD raised the matter in a parliamentary question to Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien last week, asking if the government would “consider making the wearing of high-visibility jackets compulsory.”
Responding in writing, the Minister said the Road Safety Authority (RSA) already encourages the use of such gear through public campaigns, but that there are currently no plans to make it a legal requirement.
“It is the policy of both the Government and the RSA to recommend the use of these high-visibility vests and armbands, but their use is not a legal requirement,” he said.
“At present, there are no plans to introduce legislation changing this.”
O’Brien described the RSA’s ongoing “Be Safe, Be Seen” campaign as a success, stating that it had “transformed road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.”
“As part of the campaign, the RSA distributes thousands of free high-visibility vests and armbands each year,” he said.
Calls for mandatory hi-vis clothing have previously been raised at local level, including by councillors in Sligo and Donegal in recent years, and from TDs like retired Fianna Fáiler Eamon Ó Cúiv. Those proposals also cited road safety concerns, particularly during darker months.
According to RSA figures, 44 pedestrians were killed on Irish roads in 2023, making up roughly one-fifth of all road fatalities. From 2019 to 2023, 164 pedestrians died and a further 1,436 were seriously injured.