Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

It will only work if the box contains a camera. The Garda traffic corps has undermined the Government's credibility regarding how seriously it is taking road fatalities. The corps comprises 23 gardaí who are not on traffic duty full-time. This Minister of State shakes his head as if this is not true but I am using his figures.

I refer to drink driving. Why is addressing drink driving prioritised at Christmas and on other key weekends during the year but not on other weekends? Why do we not take drug driving seriously? Road safety and road deaths are not a priority for this Government. Some 400 people will die on the roads in Ireland this year. The response we receive in every area can be undermined. This is not simply a matter of enforcement. It concerns teaching young people how to drive as part of their education.

Unlike other speakers, I do not think it is sufficient to implement the road safety strategy that was published. We should examine models used to great success in other countries, particularly in driver training. As part of their education, people go to driving school for two or three weeks in France, Canada and the United States. If we are serious about teaching young people how to drive responsibly and correctly, to understand cars and their dangers and the importance of seat belts, we should teach them how to drive properly. We can send people to a driving school or have them undertake a structured driving course, involving continuous assessment and requiring the passing of various tests before being allowed to drive. We should abolish the system whereby those who fail the driving test are still allowed to drive.

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