Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

Ireland has 2.2 million licensed drivers out of a population of 4 million. Approximately 350,000 of these drivers possess provisional licenses, which is one of the reasons for the high fatality rate on our roads. In 2003, 335 people were killed on Irish roads and the figure for this year is 380, as well as 3,000 injuries.

I would like to refer to the issue of speed cameras and hope that the Minister of State will respond. The 100 private speed cameras which were promised in the 1998 road safety strategy did not materialise. These cameras were again promised in the road safety strategy for 2004 to 2004. The legislation needed to allow for the outsourcing of speed cameras to private operators has been promised for next year. Will the Minister of State indicate whether the necessary provisions will be introduced? By the time the legislation is enacted, two national road safety strategies will have passed without the complete roll-out of the 100 cameras promised in 1998. It has been demonstrated in the UK, France and Australia that speed cameras are effective in reducing road fatalities. They have been very successful in the state of Victoria in Australia.

A motorcyclist is 17 times more likely to be killed in a road traffic accident than a car driver and one dies every week on Irish roads, yet the Government has not delivered on its promise to introduce compulsory basic training for motorcyclists. It is important to make young people aware of the risks of this activity.

The numbers of motorists who are suspected of driving under the influence of drugs has increased by 30% in 2005 but no system is in place to deal with drug driving. Roadside equipment to test for drug driving is being piloted in the UK and I suggest that similar measures be adopted here as soon as possible.

I concur with Deputy Gay Mitchell that a number of accidents, especially those occurring during daylight hours, are fatigue or stress related. People, particularly those travelling between Cork or Limerick and Dublin, drive under stressful conditions and do not get sufficient rest. The practice whereby people fall asleep at the wheels of their cars should be discouraged.

Although the Minister for Transport has promised for some time that legislation would be introduced to ban the use of mobile telephones while driving, no measures have yet been brought. Legislation should be introduced as soon as possible to prevent accidents which occur because people cannot watch the road while using their mobile telephones, particularly when traffic is bumper to bumper.

The chairman of the National Safety Council, Mr. Eddie Shaw, has been critical of the Government on its failure to implement the national road safety strategy. Recently, he estimated that the number of annual road fatalities in this country should stand at 240, a figure which represents six deaths per 100,000 people. The numbers killed on our roads imply that 140 people are dying unnecessarily every year and 1,200 suffer serious injuries.

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