Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

Following the introduction of penalty points approximately two years ago, there was an immediate and welcome reduction in the number of fatal and non-fatal road casualties. This was clearly attributable to the fear of enforcement, financial penalties and increased insurance costs, but when people realised that there was no visible element of enforcement and they could flout the law, the numbers rose again. Laws must be seen to be enforced. If a deranged person continually went into shopping centres at the weekend and shot five or six people while injuring many others, there would be an outcry. In the case of road accidents, however, there has been a meek acceptance of what is happening. When it comes to car crashes, people seem to think, "But for the grace of God, there go I". That is the prevalent attitude. At bank holiday weekends, gardaí maintain high visibility checkpoints. They advise us not to drink and drive, yet each holiday weekend brings its own degree of tragedy on the roads.

There are well-known methods for reducing fatalities on the roads and if they can work in other countries there is no reason they cannot be used here. For example, the authorities in New Zealand operate a driver curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., which has reduced road accidents. If that measure can have such a dramatic effect in New Zealand we should consider employing that and other ideas that have been tried and test abroad.

People may experience difficulties finding a taxi to drive them home after attending a social function. Members of my family have had to wait for up to two hours for a taxi and considered themselves lucky when one arrived. People can also be stranded when roads are icy or foggy. Recently, a judge in Monaghan said he was considering not granting late night extensions to premises unless they could prove that a taxi service was available to take people home from such functions. It is unacceptable that late night extensions are granted willy-nilly without provision being made for people to return home safely.

We must examine road signs in the context of the recent changes from miles to kilometres per hour. A speed limit of 80 km/h is in force on some side roads. One can drive at 80 km/h on those roads where there is only space for two bicycles to meet. One is in danger walking on them as pedestrians regularly have to stand into the ditch. The speed limits on these roads should be lowered. It gives some people a thrill to drive at 80 km/h on a narrow road fit only for single lane traffic.

In Castleblaney two people were killed crossing the road because they fell into the blind spot of a lorry. We should proactively cover these blind spots, whether by using sensors on lorries or whatever. These factors should be urgently examined because they cause death and will continue to do so.

There are other anomalies, for example, in the workplace one's skills would occasionally be tested but one gets a driving licence when one is 17 years old that serves for a lifetime. There should be test periods. The only test period applies when one loses one's licence and has to re-sit the driving test.

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