Member's statement: A5: Road Safety Measures
Member's statement by Mr Tom Buchanan on .
- MLA
- Mr Tom Buchanan
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 24 February 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- A5: Road Safety Measures
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5404117
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today, the A5 has again been in the news for all the wrong reasons, as a result of a serious road traffic accident that happened last night. The road was closed in both directions, and it was still closed when I was driving here this morning. I assure those who were involved in the accident, and their families, that they are in our thoughts and prayers this morning. The accident again highlights the dangers on the A5. So many vehicles use the road, and I ask all drivers to exercise great caution when doing so because of those dangers. Over the years, we have witnessed far too many accidents on the A5. Many homes have an empty chair and a voice missing as a result. Many homes have been torn apart because people have suffered serious injuries on the road. I again appeal to the Minister for Infrastructure to consider introducing safety measures on the A5. There are proposals for a new road: it may come at some stage but we do not know when that will be. Simply having a new road in the pipeline, as we have had for the past 15 years, does not mean that the A5, which is notorious for accidents, should simply be forgotten about. Safety measures can be put in place on the road, such as installing cameras in certain areas, upgrading road junctions and providing better signage and clearer road markings. We have been on to the Minister about that before, but in light of last night's serious accident I again call on her to consider putting in place some of those safety measures in order to curb the number of accidents on the road. We also remember those who lost their lives on our roads at the weekend and the families who have been bereaved. We pass on our sincere sympathies to them at this time.
315 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.89).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.89 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.96 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.04 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:01 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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