Draft of revised Rules of the Road published

A revised draft of the Rules of the Roadbooklet has been published this morning by the Department of Transport.

The new rules are designed to reflect changes in Irish motoring in the 11 years since the last Rules of the Roadwas published.

The booklet contains details of the new metric speed limits, penalty points and on-the-spot fines, as well as providing information on the use of motorways, cycle lanes, bus lanes and rules applying where the Luas is in operation. It also addresses the Theory Test and the National Car Test.

In 1995, there were 1.26 million licensed vehicles on Irish roads, but that number has almost doubled to over 2.1 million now.

"Most road users read the Rules of the Road when faced with the prospect of sitting their driving test, but all road users should be aware of the need to constantly update their knowledge and skills and to be aware of changes to road traffic legislation," Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said.

"Driving is a lifelong skill which requires lifelong learning, and I urge road users to use the initiatives which are being launched to improve their driving skills," he added.

They will be displayed on the Department's website to give motoring organisations and ordinary drivers a chance to comment. The consultation process ends on June 30th.

When finalised, the rules will be published in the autumn in a variety of languages.