A coordinated national response is needed to deal with the growing road safety risks posed by deer on Irish roads.

This was the call from independent Kerry TD, Michael Healy-Rae, after tabling a question to the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien in Dáil Éireann, to establish what was being done to address "the serious road safety risks associated with roaming deer".

Deputy Healy-Rae, slammed what he described as the "completely inadequate and dismissive responses from both the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA)" to the problem.

In his response Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, said: "I am aware of concerns regarding the risk posed by stray deer, particularly on rural roads and during periods when deer are more active, however, management measures in relation to deer do not come under the remit of my department or agencies".

Deer management

He said the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group (IDMSG) was established in 2023 and was made up of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), and Coillte.

"The role of the IDMSG was to develop initiatives to ensure sustainable deer numbers while achieving the objectives of landowners ranging from biodiversity, forestry, agriculture, animal health and road safety," Minister Canney explained.

The RSA subsequently also highlighted social media awareness campaigns undertaken during the summer, as well as annual warnings during the deer rutting season, saying that campaign material was also circulated to local authorities.

Healy-Rae strongly criticised what he described "as the lack of urgency demonstrated in the replies" of Minister Canney, and RSA.

"We have large wild animals wandering onto public roads, putting motorists and their passengers at risk, and the response from the authorities is effectively to tell people to slow down and watch out.”

“Everybody seems to have a small piece of responsibility, but nobody wants to take ownership of the problem,” he said.

The Kerry TD also highlighted the significant issue of under-reporting, which he said meant that the true extent of deer-related incidents was not being portrayed.

Rural counties

Healy-Rae warned that motorists in rural counties such as Kerry faced particular risks, "especially during darker mornings and evenings when deer are more active".

He therefore urged that the Department of Transport, RSA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Parks and Wildlife Service and local authorities become involved in a coordinated "response" to the problem.

Such a initiative should include "proper recording of deer-related incidents, identification of high-risk roads and practical measures to reduce collisions", he stressed.

Minister Canney said in his response that the RSA "advises motorists to stay alert and reduce speed when driving in areas with known deer populations and particularly where deer warning signs are in place".