Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Farrell. I compliment the RSA. Its advertising campaigns have been very effective and it should be commended on that.

I have a question for the assistant commissioner in the context of Deputy Lowry's intervention earlier, to which I think Superintendent Murphy replied. The Deputy made a very positive suggestion about meeting young people immediately after a night out, particularly in areas where they congregate like car parks, etc. It might be different in Dublin or Cork where there is probably no set meeting point but it is important. Deputy Lowry's contribution is something we should come back to as a committee to assist in further discussion on this issue. It is important to intervene earlier rather than later. I am aware we live in real time so we cannot get everything right but our guests might consider what the Deputy said. Having a checkpoint or speed van ten minutes out the road may be too late in some cases. That is one point.

A hobby horse of mine is the Cork to Dublin motorway. I am curious about it. As Members know, I travel on it every week. You could meet five speed checks with different varieties of speed camera or a garda with the gun or the car between Cork and Dublin. It baffles me that you could have between one and five speed checks on a road like that. I am curious about the number of accidents on the road and the number of fatalities. You could travel to different parts of the country on minor roads and meet nobody, even though the speed and the behaviour on those roads can be extraordinary. I am curious about the reasoning and rationale for the heavy presence, at times, on the motorway. Is there a reason for that?