Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The number of people on the roads checking Facebook to see where Mary or Johnny were last night, the number texting while driving and the number doing all sorts of things such as shaving or doing their hair while driving, particularly in the mornings, are absolutely incredible. What I see is shocking. That is apart from crazy driving with people changing over three lanes without indicating or swerving in and out between cars. The reason I highlight this is that I appreciate the Garda has stepped up what it is doing, and that is welcome, but the emphasis on road safety policing must be stepped up a gear. That is crucial. Mobile phone use while driving is massive, as is doing other things while driving. I want to highlight that.

On speed limits, we have a default position of 80 km/h when we go off the national network. That is absolutely ludicrous. People learning to drive are always told to drive according to the road conditions. This means not driving at 80 km/h on a boreen. Common sense kicks in. I want to cut to my question on speed limits. Is setting speed limits a job for county councillors? That is a "Yes" or "No". Is it a job for the elected members of the local authority?