Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to debate this Bill. It gives us the opportunity to examine the entire area of road safety. I wish to raise a number of issues, some of which are covered in the legislation and others which should be.

I will put this debate in context. Every 23 minutes an accident occurs on Irish roads. Some are fatal, some cause serious injuries, ambulances must be called to some and others are only material damage accidents. Every 22 hours at least one fatality occurs on Irish roads. That is someone's mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter. That is what we are discussing, not statistics.

I was disappointed that every Member of the Government parties who spoke on this issue put the blame solely on drivers. They never mentioned road conditions, engineering, enforcement or resources. The key elements of road safety seem to be gone out the window. It all seems to be the fault of drivers, which is not the case.

The Minister proposes to privatise speed cameras. Last night during his Second Stage speech, the Minister tried to give reassurance that these cameras will not be a cash cow for the private sector. It is extremely difficult for us to believe that when we see the situation regarding the national car test. People believe it is a cash cow for the company involved.

It is also difficult for us to believe it when we see the instructions given to members of the Garda Síochána to hit the quota every month by catching people just inside the speed limit zone. It is like shooting fish in a barrel. No matter what the Garda Commissioner or assistant commissioners state, quotas regarding the enforcement of road traffic legislation and speeding fines do exist.

Unless checks and balances are put in place, privatised speed cameras will become the rural equivalent of the clampers in Dublin and other cities. The objective itself, to reduce traffic speed on many of our busiest roads, is commendable. The number of road traffic fatalities has enormously increased during the past 12 months and urgent action is needed. However, we do not want to see the public funding another element of private industry. Sadly, to date this Government's record in the privatisation of various operations has ended up with the consumer paying more without an improvement of service.

The type of contract that will be put in place is critical. I urge the Minister to ensure the contract is based on the reduction of the average speed along particular sections of road. Before any speed camera is put in place, it should be discussed with local communities and they, in conjunction with the Garda Síochána, should decide where speed cameras are to be placed. They deal with the problem of people coming into their communities, breaking speed limits and having blatant disregard for road traffic legislation on a day to day basis. I hope the Minister will amend the Bill when he has the opportunity to do so on Committee Stage.

One fifth of road deaths so far this year have been of non-nationals. Before we had an increase in the non-national population, the statistics showed that up to 15% of accidents involved foreign drivers, many of whom had driven on the wrong side of the road. In 2004, 40% of two-vehicle collisions involved vehicles that went to the wrong side of the road. I am sure the statistics for 2005 is an increase on that and that the statistics for 2006 is an increase on that again. No recognition has been given to that growing statistic.

Every local authority must erect multilingual signs to make non-national drivers aware that they must drive on the left-hand side of the road. They are used to driving on the opposite side of the road and it is extremely disorienting for them when they come here. When PPS numbers are given to non-nationals, copies of the rules of the road should be distributed with them in the person's language of choice so he or she can understand them. Proposals were put to various Ministers with responsibility for the environment and transport in the past on the installation of electronic devices in vehicles which could remind non-national drivers they must drive on the left-hand side of the road. It is a significant issue which is being ignored. It cannot be brushed under the carpet.

I want to raise other points in my limited time. This Bill deals with the issue of drink-driving, but the issue of people driving on prescribed medication is being ignored. Most speakers discussed drink and illegal drugs. However, prescribed medication which impedes driving is just as dangerous and that is not made clear to people. GPs have an onus to ensure they warn patients of the implications of taking medication and clear and concise information should be available on it.

More than one fifth of accidents here happen in poor visibility conditions on wet roads, in snow, fog or mist. In Florida in the United States, legislation is in place which makes it compulsory to turn on dipped lights when the wipers are turned on. When we travel here, we all see people in poor driving conditions with no lights on or with just parking lights on. They are virtually invisible to other drivers. The legislation needs to be changed to address this. I proposed a change in the Act of 2001 but it was ignored by the then Minister of State, Bobby Molloy. The Minister, Deputy Cullen, now has an opportunity to amend the legislation. If people have cause to use their wipers, they should also turn on their dipped lights. Research has shown this will reduce road fatalities by ensuring vehicles are highly visible.

Pedestrians and cyclists who are not lit up and wearing reflective armbands or other reflective gear should be liable to prosecution, or at least to a fine. They are criminally negligent if they do not have such gear. One cannot ignore the number of pedestrians being killed. A significant contributory factor is their invisibility on our roads. Every single motorist I have spoken to on this issue in recent years has stated he or she has had narrow escapes because of the invisibility of pedestrians. There is an onus on the latter to be visible.

See this speech in context