John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I offer my sympathy to the families of those who have died on our roads over recent years, particularly the families of the 399 people who lost their lives in 2005 and the 185 killed up to mid-June this year. These figures show we need continued action on the issue.

Despite what previous speakers have said, the tackling of this issue is not down to the Government alone. There are so many stakeholders with regard to the problem of road carnage that the legislation must be taken in the context of a stiff conversation with all of us. When the legislation is passed, it must be seen as an action taken to deal with the matter. It must be seen as having arisen from the concerns expressed by the public, the Garda and all involved. If we accept it in that context, perhaps more people will pay heed to penalty points, to the rules, regulations and laws in place and the efforts made by legislators to ensure we deal with the issue once and for all. If the appropriate funding is put in place with the legislation, it will improve our credibility as legislators and stakeholders.

The public also has a role to play. People must acknowledge that this legislation and the funding provided are our best effort to ensure deaths on our roads are reduced and people are better informed on road use. Drivers have a direct responsibility and we have a role to play in that context. Previous speakers referred to the need for the provision of driver education in second level schools to ensure the basic rules of the road are taught to pupils going through our educational system. That used to be the case. This need is so important that we need to restore driver education to a prominent position at second level. We must ensure young drivers moving on from there are provided with the best possible instruction from professionals and off-road experience. Instruction tracks should be provided for this throughout the country.

All these measures are necessary because of the increased volume of traffic on our roads. Our economy has improved significantly and most families now have two, three or four cars, depending on the number of family members who must travel to work. How we deal with the increased volume is an issue that concerns local authorities.

I have great regard for the road designs implemented by the NRA. Magnificent national road projects that have come to fruition make an enormous difference to moving the volume of traffic on our roads from A to B safely. However, there are issues with regard to the NRA's engagement with local authorities and the delivery of projects of national importance that may have a local nature. For example, I have raised the matter of the newly constructed Piltown-Fiddown bypass several times in the House. There have been seven deaths on that new road, yet the suggestions made to address the issues by the local community through the local authority were largely ignored. Now, after just a few years of use, more millions of taxpayers' money will be spent to provide a different system to deal with the 13 right-hand junctions on the road. More attention should be paid to local communities that raise such issues.

Where the provision of this type of road project has an impact on local communities and roads, we should provide speed ramps, traffic calming measures and all of the modern concepts that lead to greater road safety. Local authorities should receive more funding to ensure urban road networks and housing estates, particularly older estates, can install ramps and traffic calming measures where necessary. We should be mindful of this when building new housing estates, like that in Kilkenny city where a whole new area is being constructed to accommodate up to 15,000 people. In building those new residential areas, the roads into and the road network within the estates should be built with ramps and other traffic control measures in mind so they do not need to be retrofitted. This would represent sound planning and good management by local authorities. Where it falls to Government to fund, we need a proactive method of funding over a number of years. At our clinics we have all received the same complaints of anti-social behaviour and the speed of traffic through estates and cities. Urban management represents a huge problem and yet these matters are not being funded adequately to allow us to remove them from the agenda. They represent serious safety issues. In some constituencies complaints have been made about roads between villages being used as speed tracks. Late at night vehicles are speeding in races with bets wagered as to who will drive fastest between two points on a county road. This activity is absolute madness and needs to be controlled. The Garda needs funding to allow far greater monitoring of the problem and to address it.

Likewise when managing urban development, inner relief roads and connections to outer roads are extremely important and we need a method of fast-tracking funding and planning in that regard. More often than not it is not the funding but the planning that represents the problem. The planning process is so slow that it fails to deliver the project on time, resulting in years wasted in dealing with the problem. We need to deal with this as an issue relative to road safety. We need to make existing roads safe and ensure safety on roads being constructed.

Employers are also stakeholders in this matter. My background is in the transport industry, where I employed almost 25 truck drivers. I know the importance of speed control on those trucks. However, I also know how easy it is to defuse the system to allow a driver to drive at whatever speed he or she likes. I have seen too many accidents arise from that process. Employers should be helped to vet their drivers as they come along, to continue to educate them on road networks, new laws, penalty points etc. As we introduce regulations, we need those with a large number of drivers in their employment to pass on the information to them. As was said earlier, part of the problem relates to communication and ensuring the message is implemented as law for the individuals and employers concerned.

Many transport companies are employing non-Irish nationals. We need to go an extra mile with those non-Irish employees, as they need to understand the road network, the different speed limits and the rules of the road here. It is simple for employers to communicate to those drivers and that should be encouraged. Years ago FÁS used to give a grant for such courses. While that is no longer the case, it should be encouraged at least. The Bill makes provision to deal with non-Irish drivers who bring their own cars here. On a number of occasions on one roundabout in Kilkenny I have seen cars going around in the wrong direction. We need to continue to make people aware of this problem.

By comparison with other European countries, we are not up to speed on speed limit and road signage. While the signage is improving we need to increase the pace at which this is happening. Directional and speed limit signs away from the main motorways need major improvement. Local authorities have responsibility to deliver this information to drivers as they go along. Without having a proliferation of signs along such roads, there is a need to improve signage, which would help motorists, particularly those who do not know the roads or elderly people who find it difficult to make their way along the roads at some speed. Addressing this matter requires funding. Funding will drive the Bill and will ultimately deliver results.

The Garda also has a role to play. The Committee of Public Accounts in its seventh interim report highlighted the issue of speed cameras. The committee's investigation in 2003, 2004 and 2005 found that more than half the images generated could not be used. I am completely in favour of the privatisation of the camera system. However, we need to consider what is best practice and to benchmark that best practice against what is achieved in other countries. When the private operator is appointed — as quickly as possible, I hope — we should be able to see real results and to compare those results with what is being achieved in other countries. We should move from that benchmark to continue to improve the standard.

It is only by doing so and with other concepts to be introduced by the Garda that we will restore credibility to that system and to the Garda itself. I am sure members of the Garda are affected by the failure of that system to work. The Garda is also affected by the fact that nominated drivers are particularly hard to pursue. We have had a poor success rate in identifying the driver of a vehicle within a company. It is a major challenge in the system to chase down those nominated drivers and successfully deliver summonses. Regardless of the system in place people will always find a loophole. We need flexible legislation to ensure we can adapt to the new problems on the road and deal with those who will try to get around the law.

I agree with the points made by Deputy Carey on drink driving. Irish society is willing to move towards zero tolerance of drink driving. Anyone who takes a drink and drives on the road represents a serious problem. The only way to deal with the problem is for society to begin to accept that the Government will move along the European line towards zero tolerance so drinking and driving is not acceptable at any level.

I encourage the Government to investigate how it might implement prosecutions against those who use drugs and drive. Some people drive having taken prescribed drugs, which is perfectly legal. I am talking about finding a way to deal with those who use all sorts of illegal drugs, from cocaine downwards and then get into a car and drive, which is happening on our roads. I recall tabling a parliamentary question on the matter and I understand there are some complications in this regard. The use of drugs is a serious and growing problem throughout the country. I have no doubt that a growing number of people will chance driving a vehicle under the influence of some form of drug.

I refer to a number of accidents involving school buses. I recently spoke to a school bus operator and to a private bus operator. The Government needs to take steps to improve standards on the school transport fleet, which is much too old. It has been suggested that recognised dealers rather than the operators of vehicles should be responsible for ensuring a proper maintenance programme is applied to school buses, either when they are brought in for an MOT or examined on other occasions. Independent verification of the maintenance programme operated by large bus operators is also necessary, particularly with regard to the school bus system.

If we are to require in law that young children wear seat belts on school buses, we must introduce a means of enforcement, for example, the appointment of conductors to travel on school buses. While I am aware this proposal would generate additional costs, I have seen seat belts on school buses which were tied in knots or used to obstruct other children. MOT certificates and buses should also be subject to random checks.

Bus owners have requested that motorway speed limits for buses be increased to 100 km/h to enhance safety. We should examine any proposals to improve safety made by bus operators. I reiterate that legislation should be sufficiently flexible to allow the Legislature to amend and adapt it if necessary.

I agree with the points Deputies made regarding the use of mobile telephones. All of us stand accused of taking calls on our mobile telephones while driving. Due to the pressure of modern life, far too often we instinctively answer calls while driving. This practice is common among businessmen and those who do not have hands-free car phone kits installed. I welcome the ban on the use of mobile telephones while driving and believe the introduction of a €2,000 fine for those who break the law will give drivers pause for thought.

On mandatory breath testing and drink driving, we should consider how we can encourage good behaviour. For example, pubs and hotels should be encouraged to provide a courtesy service for patrons. Members of the Government may not wish to hear my proposal but it should consider waiving VAT or VRT on vehicles specifically used for this purpose because courtesy services contribute to greater road safety. This option should be encouraged in the trade as it would force it to deliver a significant and tangible contribution to road safety. I commend the Bill to the House.

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