Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important matter. I congratulate my colleagues in Fine Gael on proposing this motion, which is particularly timely given the time of year and the tragedies people must live with as a result of accidents.

In 2005, the last year for which we have official statistics from the Road Safety Authority, there were 396 fatalities and 9,318 injuries as a result of road traffic accidents. In other words, a total of 9,714 people were either killed or injured on our roads in one year, an average of 809 people per month. The statistics do not give any indication of the nature or extent of injuries, but it is certain a high proportion of them would impact seriously and indefinitely on the lives of many people. The issue cannot receive enough publicity. The consequences of the deaths and severe injuries can or should be preventable. The most recent figures from the Garda national bureau show the number of deaths on the roads so far this year is 316. It is appalling that the loss of life on our roads continues daily. Last weekend we had further carnage on our roads.

The leading causes of deaths on our roads are speed, alcohol, drugs and driver fatigue. These factors can be controlled and it should be possible to eliminate them, if the will exists to do it. Motorists carry the blame for their bad behaviour and must be held responsible for it. The tragedy is there are so many victims of the irresponsibility of some drivers. Breaking the speed limit is illegal, yet it is the most common reason for collisions. Why is it necessary for cars to be designed to travel at speeds way above the legal limit? One of the main purposes of the introduction of penalty points was to reduce speeding and, last night, many speakers highlighted how the initial introduction of penalty points had a positive effect on curbing excessive speed and on road safety. That was in the early days, but the benefit seems to be almost eroded and the rules are blatantly ignored by many drivers, as supported by documentary evidence.

The second main reason for collisions resulting in death or injuries is alcohol. While I appreciate the steps that have been taken to curb drinking and driving, much more could be done. Night after night, rows of cars are parked outside our pubs. Nobody believes the owners or drivers of these cars are all drinking lemonade. Why, therefore, are more gardaí not located outside these pubs to enforce the law? Now that it is possible to stop any driver anywhere and check for alcohol intake, there is nothing to stop gardaí from checking these people once they get into their cars and turn on the ignition. Again, the will must be there to do this and to be serious about putting a stop to driving under the influence of alcohol. The perception of enforcement is almost as important as the law itself. If motorists believe they will get away with breaking the rules, they will do so.

Failure to enforce the law results in people dying or being seriously injured on our roads every day of the week. The headlines tell us about the deaths, but we hear little about the many serious injuries or the subsequent suffering of those who are injured. People suffer serious disabilities, brain and spinal injuries, paralysis and other consequences, destroying their own lives and, often, the lives of their families and those who must care for them.

It is unacceptable that up to 50% of all motorists fail to pay fines for offences such as speeding or that many drivers who have accumulated 12 penalty points do not voluntarily hand up their driving licences as required. If the penalty points system is not reviewed, made effective and made a real deterrent to bad behaviour on our roads, the purpose of the system will be undermined.

The motion is timely and I fully support it. I call on the Minister to ensure that all the rules and laws in place are workable and enforced. If they are not workable, it is time to revisit them and take action to make them workable. The time for wringing our hands about road deaths and injuries should be over. Enforcement of the law should replace it. When penalty points were first introduced, they had a positive impact, but now people are quite cavalier about them and it is not unusual to see people driving around with their mobile phones to their ears. The number of people pulled in, breathalysed and found to be over the limit is alarming and totally unacceptable. Much work remains to be done with regard to enforcement of the law.

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