Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this motion on road safety and to outline some of the initiatives that have been implemented by the Government and those that will be implemented under the new road safety strategy. Significant initiatives realised under the two previous strategies, particularly in the last two years, include the extension of penalty points and fixed charges, stronger legislation, mandatory roadside alcohol testing, greater levels of enforcement and the establishment of the Road Safety Authority. The number of fatalities as a result of road traffic collisions in 2006, at 368, was the second lowest rate in 40 years.

Progress continues to be made in reducing road deaths, and the priority attached to this has been underlined in the recent road safety strategy for 2007-2012, launched in October, which sets challenging targets for road death reductions. The overall trend in road deaths is downward. From a total of 411 in 2001, the figure for 2007 to date is 316. Tragically, 15 people have lost their lives on our roads in the first 11 days of December. Road deaths are tragic at any time of year but there is a particular sadness in the lead-up to Christmas. Despite the increased levels of road deaths in recent days, the number killed so far this year represents a reduction of 34 on the number of deaths on the same date last year. If the current trend is maintained, this year may show one of the lowest death rates for 40 years. The decrease in road deaths comes despite an increase in population, vehicle ownership and vehicle usage patterns.

A new road safety strategy for 2007-12 was published in October. The strategy, which provides for 126 actions or initiatives to be put in place over a six-year period, aims to reduce road deaths to no greater than 60 fatalities per million of population by the end of 2012, with demonstrable downward reductions in each year of the strategy. This equates to an average of 21 road deaths per month or 252 deaths per annum. The average number of road deaths per month so far this year is 28. The strategy also aims to reduce injuries by 25% and, by the fourth quarter of 2008, to develop a reliable database for serious injuries based on data from the health care system and insurance industry. In addition, the strategy aims to implement a safety camera network to provide in the region of 6,000 hours of enforcement per month to increase conformity with speed limits. Another objective of the strategy is to increase adult front seat belt wearing rates from 86% to 95% or better and to increase the adult rate of rear seat belt usage from 63% to 85% or better by 2012.

The strategy also identifies the need to legislate for and introduce a reduction in the legal blood alcohol level for drivers. The precise level to which it will be lowered will follow consideration of recommendations to be made by the RSA advisory panel to the RSA board in early 2008. Several issues will inform those recommendations, including known driver behaviour, past offending rates, analysis of data held by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, enforcement practicalities and best international practice. Legislation will be required to implement a revised level, and the Minister for Transport will move rapidly to introduce appropriate legislation once the advice of the RSA has been received.

The Minister introduced new regulations in October to provide for significant changes in regard to driving licences and learner drivers. These changes included the replacement, from 30 October 2007, of the provisional licence by a learner permit to emphasise that the holder is learning to drive. From 30 October 2007, new applicant learner permit holders must be accompanied at all times by a driver who has held a full licence for the category for at least two years. New applicant learner permit holders cannot apply for a driving test for six months. Further changes provide that existing provisional licences will continue in force until their expiry date, after which the holder will be issued with a learner permit. From 30 June 2008, a holder of a second provisional licence or learner permit for a car must be accompanied at all times. They may, however, drive unaccompanied in the period up to 30 June 2008.

The existing rule that first, third and subsequent holders of provisional licences must be accompanied by a person holding a full driving licence, with no minimum period necessary, continues in force until 30 June 2008 and from 1 December 2007, a learner motorcyclist must wear the letter "L" on a yellow fluorescent tabard.

Since its establishment in September 2006, the Road Safety Authority has introduced a number of measures to reduce driving test waiting times. These include contracting SGS Limited to provide additional driving tests on its behalf. Over the last year or so, the average waiting time for a test has come down by about a third and the RSA continues to drive this down.

Following on the recent changes to the driver licensing provisions, the RSA has confirmed that all 122,000 applicants on the waiting list at the end of October will have been tested by early March 2008 and that by the end of June 2008 all applicants for a driving test will be able to get a test on demand, which is within 10 weeks. This does not mean there will be no waiting list at the end of June 2008.

In addition to these two commitments, the Minister for Transport has also requested the RSA to ensure that all 120,000 people who were holders of second provisional licences at the time the changes were introduced in October will have been offered a test before the end of June 2008. As we know, from that time these drivers will be required to be accompanied by a qualified driver, a requirement which applies to all other learner drivers in any event.

The national vehicle and driver file section of the Department of Transport, based in Shannon, is directly assisting the RSA in this particular objective. Achievement of this target takes into account the historical patterns of application and pass rates, as well as the significant spike in applications following the announcement of the changes.

The road safety strategy for 2004-06 committed the Government to the introduction of a form of roadside breath testing which would address in a positive way the problem of drinking and driving. Legislation was introduced in the Road Traffic Act 2006 to provide for an appropriate form of roadside mandatory alcohol testing in order to increase the chance of being breathalysed, and it provides an increased deterrent. The Garda has been successfully operating mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints since July 2006 and the increased deterrent effect is now reflected in the significant reduction in the number of road deaths since then.

The Road Traffic Acts provide that a member of the Garda Síochána may require a person in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle to provide a preliminary breath specimen where the vehicle is involved in a road collision. Garda discretion in the use of preliminary roadside tests in such circumstances exists, having regard to possible injuries sustained. It should be pointed out that evidence of alcohol consumption is not a requirement in order for a garda to use the powers available.

The Road Traffic Acts also place an obligation on a person to provide a blood or urine sample in a hospital. This applies where an event occurs involving a vehicle which results in a person being injured, or a person claiming or appearing to have been injured, or where the person is admitted to or attends a hospital and a member of the Garda is of the opinion that, at the time of the event, the person had consumed an intoxicant. The definition of an intoxicant includes alcohol and drugs or any combination of alcohol and drugs.

The Department is aware that the Garda authorities have issued directions to the effect that it is expected that all drivers involved in serious road traffic collisions are tested unless there are overriding medical circumstances. The Government has recognised that there remains a serious substantial degree of public concern that, while acknowledging the medical aspect, some drivers involved in collisions may not be currently required to undergo roadside breath testing. The Department of Transport is engaging with the Office of the Attorney General to establish how the current legislation can be amended to achieve compulsory roadside testing of drivers involved in serious accidents subject to overriding medical circumstances.

There were two tragic accidents in Galway this week and it is my wish that we receive as quickly as possible the Garda reports on those accidents. It is vital the Government be made aware of the circumstances surrounding accidents which in many cases can be avoided.

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