Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the amended motion. Too many families have had the dreaded knock on the door by a member of An Garda Síochána coming to tell them that a loved one has been killed in a road accident. The loss of a friend or family member in such a sudden and inexplicable manner haunts thousands of families. As Members of Dáil Éireann we have an onerous duty to do everything possible to minimise loss of life on our roads. I commend the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, for the high priority he has personally attached to road safety since entering office. The policies he and his predecessor have pursued require our continued unconditional support if they are to achieve their full potential.

I wish to use my limited time to highlight a few issues in this debate. A number of my colleagues have already mentioned the role of alcohol in road accidents. According to a HSE study, alcohol was a factor in 36.5% of all fatal road crashes in 2003 and in 62% of single-vehicle, single-occupant fatal crashes in that year. These are the facts. It is staggering that alcohol has played such a significant role in fatal road crashes in Ireland over the past number of years. The Government recently responded with the introduction of mandatory alcohol testing. This has already had a staggering impact. Road deaths are down 20% in the 12-month period since mandatory alcohol testing was introduced compared to the previous 12 months. A total of 24,255 people were arrested between August 2006 and October 2007 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The message is finally getting through and we are witnessing a change, slowly but surely, in personal behaviour, not least because of the highly visible enforcement regime of An Garda Síochána.

Although some people regard the enforcement of drink-driving laws as an attack on our culture or on the rural way of life, we must continue to do what is right to give us the best possible chance of saving lives throughout the country. Embracing these measures does require people to plan and make arrangements if they are socialising. An element of sacrifice is involved, but it cannot be compared to the sacrifice of a lost life. We have recently seen a number of transport initiatives in rural areas which facilitate people who want to socialise. I encourage this and hope to see more such schemes. I am pleased to see that the Department of Transport is in discussions with the Attorney General about the possibility of testing all drivers involved in serious accidents for alcohol. That is a positive measure which should be introduced as soon as possible.

This brings me to the issue of people driving under the influence of drugs. In future we must accord this an importance equal to that of drink-driving. In 2001 the Medical Bureau of Road Safety at UCD carried out a study in which 2,000 blood and urine specimens of people who were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving were reviewed. The figures obtained were quite astounding. Of the 2,000 specimens tested, one in seven contained illegal drugs. It is interesting that the figure was much higher among drivers who were found not to be above the blood alcohol limit. Of these samples, one in three contained drugs. We all know how Ireland has changed even since 2001. If it was a problem then it is certainly an even more serious problem now. Recent publicity provides sufficient evidence that this issue needs to be dealt with.

I wish to address the issue of personal behaviour. All of us who drive must understand that when we get behind the wheel of a car we are in control of a weapon which has the potential to kill ourselves and others. While legislation and enforcement are important, they can only achieve so much. According to the Road Safety Authority, nine out of ten fatal collisions are caused primarily by the behaviour of road users. This is a sobering statistic that all of us must bear in mind when we take control of a vehicle. We must accept that we will never change the behaviour of some people when it comes to drink-driving, speeding or downright reckless driving. Some people simply will not change despite publicity and extra enforcement and no matter how draconian the legislation. Thus, we should start by educating young people. I am pleased to see that under the new strategy all primary school children will have completed a basic road safety programme by 2012. At second level, the safety authority will work with the Department of Education and Science and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to develop a road safety programme for transition year students. It is important that they have a basic level of training before they commence their driving careers. I welcome this development.

One in three of those killed on the roads over the past six years were not wearing a seat belt or child restraint. The compliance rate for front-seat drivers and passengers is 86% and for back-seat passengers it is just 63%. These are the basics that we must insist on getting right. Wearing a seat belt does save lives. We must get those percentages as close to 100 as we possibly can. I encourage people, particularly in the run up to Christmas when there will be much socialising at parties and so forth, to take responsibility for their actions on our roads. Drivers have an impact not only on themselves but on their loved ones and everyone around them. I emphasise this point.

We must acknowledge the progress made in recent years, underlined by the number of measures introduced. Despite the 51% increase in the number of vehicles on the roads since 1998, road deaths have decreased by approximately 20%. I am glad the Road Safety Authority has been put on a statutory footing as it is important that we continue to invest in roads. Statistics show that motorways are up to nine times safer than single carriageway roads, for which reason the National Roads Authority continues to emphasise the importance of the inter-urban routes.

The new learner permit system, enhanced enforcement and increased penalties for drink driving offences are having an impact and the Road Safety Strategy 2007-12, the most ambitious of the three strategies to date, has been adopted. I look forward to seeing its full implementation. We must continue to focus on outstanding issues such as attaching penalty points to licences of foreign registered drivers and examining new technologies for testing drug driving. I am glad the Minister intends to introduce further road safety legislation in 2008.

We should follow the example of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, which are leading the way in Europe in terms of road safety. With the full co-operation and support of the general public, there is no reason Ireland cannot become a leader in road safety. It would be a fitting monument to those who have tragically lost their lives on our roads in recent years. During the next two weeks, we must do everything possible to ensure that 2007 records the lowest number of fatalities in 40 years.

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