Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Fergus O'Dowd for tabling the motion and thank the Minister for agreeing to its main proposal. The 35% increase in road deaths in the past two months is frightening and unacceptable. It is vital that gardaí are given the tools to deal with the situation, particularly through the provision of compulsory alcohol testing for drivers involved in accidents causing injury, whether it be at the accident site or in hospital.

There is an urgency that the procedures agreed between the Governments north and south of the Border to impose penalty points should be rushed through. From my experience of driving on the M1 motorway, it is clear Northern and other non-national drivers have no anxiety about or interest in abiding by the laws.

In the few minutes available to me I must place on record my anxiety and that of many others regarding the newly constructed bypass between Castleblayney, Annyalla and Clontibret, which will replace a section of the N2. I understand the Minister will officially open the road on 5 November. It is a design and build project, about which many questions arise. Sections of the road have been constructed as a three-lane highway but many sections have no hard shoulder of any kind and will not be able to facilitate a broken down lorry or a car with a simple puncture, etc. Imagine what could happen on a foggy morning if a vehicle were to break down. Unfortunately, we saw the results of a similar incident recently. The steel ropes erected in the centre of the road in places could also cause problems.

The new bypass is the first road of its kind in Ireland and I hope it will be the last. When my Fine Gael Party colleagues on the local council raised questions about the design during the consultation process, they were assured it was a tried and trusted system on the Continent. I understand the National Roads Authority does not intend to proceed with any further projects of this nature. The Taoiseach has stated that a dual carriageway will run from Dublin to Derry. The sooner this undertaking is realised, the better, because it will require the reconstruction of the Castleblayney bypass, which is a mess. As one who fought extremely hard to have bypasses constructed at Carrickmacross, Monaghan and Castleblayney, I have been badly let down by all those involved in this so-called new and modern structure. It is vital that proper roadside and overhead signage is put in place to ensure further fatalities do not occur.

While I welcome the Government's commitment to introduce the legislation called for in the Fine Gael motion, the process of planning road structures must be re-assessed because the exit from the bypass at the Ballybay-Carrickmacross end of the Carrickmacross bypass is badly designed and has already resulted in several accidents.

A report by the European Transport Safety Council published on 10 October spells out the serious difficulties in which Ireland finds itself in the area of road safety. It is time for action.

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