The Irish Government has just introduced new road safety legislation that aims to improve accident safety and streamline the motor tax system.
No more tax discs in your windscreen
The new legislation, currently in draft form, is called the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025. The biggest impact, in a day-to-day sense, for Irish drivers will be that you'll no longer have to display a paper tax disc once the legislation is in force. That will likely happen later this year.
Tax discs have become superfluous, it seems, because of the latest number plate recognition technology, which, says the Department of Transport, means that: “An Garda Síochána already has immediate digital access to motor tax information. This legislation will remove the now unnecessary validation of tax compliance with a paper disc.” The Department said that parallel legislation surrounding the requirement to display an insurance disc and an NCT certificate is also being worked on, so in the coming months, it looks as if our windscreens will become considerably less cluttered.
Declaring a vehicle off the road
The new legislation also includes some minor adjustments in other areas, including 'a minor technical amendment to the Road Traffic Acts in relation to the setting of speed limits,' although there are no more details on that at this point. It also changes the rules surrounding declaring a vehicle off the road for tax purposes, with the Department saying that the new rules will: “remove end dates for declarations of non-use of a motor vehicle.”
In terms of road safety, the new legislation will allow local authorities - which are responsible for the maintenance and design of our roads - to access road traffic accident data from both the Road Safety Authority and the Gardai. This, in theory, will allow each local authority to better pinpoint where modifications to the road layout, or extra signage and lighting, might be needed. According to the Department, the new information sharing will: “Enable road authorities to target areas where collisions are more prone to occur with investment and infrastructure. Investing in safer roads is aligned with the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 and broader EU Safe Systems approach to road safety.”
Real-time access
Speaking after the Government meeting today, Minister O'Brien said: “I am pleased to have secured approval from my Cabinet colleagues for the formal drafting of the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill. Passage of this Bill is a key road safety commitment in the Programme for Government and will ensure that local authorities have direct access to collision data when undertaking investment. The legislative amendments in respect of the National Vehicle and Driver File will also facilitate greater real-time access to the database by An Garda Síochána in future, assisting with enforcement and contributing to safety on our roads.”
Minister of State responsible for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Seán Canney, said: “I welcome the decision of Government today. Passage of the NVDF Bill will contribute to road safety through infrastructure investment and enforcement, and will also bring improvements and efficiencies for drivers. Among these are abolishing the requirement to display a paper motor tax disc, and allowing for open-ended declarations that a car is off the road. The abolition of paper motor tax discs is part of a wider project to remove the need to display paper discs in windscreens, and I look forward to supporting the legislation through the Oireachtas in the coming months.”
There are a couple of other legislative changes, too. The new legislation includes amendments suggested at the committee stage, which means that GoSafe speed camera van operators can submit evidence in writing for any speeding cases that come to court and won't have to appear in person. The second committee change follows from a recommendation from the Haughton Report published in 2023 and seeks to ensure that a jury can consider a charge of careless driving where a defendant has been acquitted of the more serious charge of dangerous driving.