Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

——in that time most of the proposals by Deputy O'Dowd will become law because they make sense.

Deputy Noel Dempsey was not the Minister responsible for this area when the penalty points system was introduced but he was in Government. He will recall that at the time it put the fear of God in every motorist throughout the country, including me. It was the talking point in every corner of the country. If we do not put some restraint on people they will go crazy. The introduction of that system had a good effect for approximately six or eight months but why did it not have the same effect the following year? There was a good reason. The motoring public began to think they could get away with it and once that notion began to spread throughout the country, even more people decided it was worth taking the chance that they would not be caught. There is nothing unusual about that to anyone who has driven on the main thoroughfares from here to Cork, Galway or elsewhere at the maximum speed limit of 120 km/h. I have never been in a convoy where I was not passed out by other drivers many times before I arrived at my destination. If I was doing 120 km/h they had to be doing more. It appears that law is being broken every day of the week. That is not news to this House or to anyone. As soon as the speed cameras are operational countrywide, many more people will incur penalty points.

If my thesis is right, and I believe it is, many drivers now believe they have a better chance if they go through the courts. I believe that is the basis of Deputy O'Dowd's motion. It appears that as every month and year goes by drivers who have had penalty points applied for speeding are deciding to take their chances and go to court. I do not have time to outline the figures given earlier but I understand they have a 70% chance of a summons not resulting in a conviction. A total of 88,000 summons were issued in the six month period mentioned earlier but approximately 14,000 fines were imposed. The Minister will say in response that we will collect fines from over 40,000 but that is the problem. There must be a more clearcut way of collecting fines other than expecting the courts to do it. These recommendations are simple, and there is no constitutional reason that they cannot be implemented. If there is, the Minister must inform the House. He does not have a great history in introducing new legislation in this area, as seen with the new driving test arrangements. The Minister should note the Fine Gael Party is giving him the benefit of its knowledge and commitment to safer driving on the roads.

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