Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We need to look at a cultural shift in which it is done for every vehicle. Things that were seen as socially unacceptable in the 1970s in terms of road safety are now seen as absolutely normal. At that time, there were more than 600 people dying on our roads every year. We need to be ahead of the population on road safety measures. It is something I encourage.

The Minister might look into the issue of drink driving in the context of rural isolation. I spent an awful lot of time last autumn trying to set up a scheme in my rural community, which is an isolated rural community in the Dingle Peninsula. It was called the "cars for bars" scheme and had 20 volunteers, who I had lined up. Everyone was willing to go Monday to Thursday when a hackney was difficult to get in the area. They were on a roster in the local pubs and were available to pick people up, free of charge, and drop them home between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight. They were all insured drivers. The impediment came at the very end when the insurance company said drivers were not covered if they were on a roster. As the Minister's Department is liaising with insurance companies, will he try to circumvent that? It is a road safety measure and an anti-rural isolation one. It is shameful that it is the impediment to a very progressive policy in terms of road safety and addressing rural isolation. It would also support small pubs which are a key part of our tourism infrastructure as well as our social infrastructure. Will the Minister's Department examine it with the insurance companies and come back to us?