Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to address the Road Traffic Bill 2009. Like my colleague, Deputy Aylward, I wish to state clearly that I do not condone drink driving under any circumstances. I was involved in a controversy at the end of last year where my comments were taken totally out of perspective. I take this opportunity to reiterate in the House that I do not condone drinking and driving. Moreover, I never said that people would be more relaxed and would drive better after drinking a number of drinks.

The Bill before us was signalled in the programme for Government. As the representative of constituents in south Tipperary and parts of west Waterford, there are certain aspects of the Bill with which I am deeply dissatisfied. I accept that we must legislate for the greater good of all, but I am from the school of thought that education and a carrot and stick approach are the way forward with any Bill. Legislation introduced in the last decade and more has had a major impact on driving conditions and, above all, has succeeded in reducing fatalities and serious injury. No garda wants to make that house call, often in the middle of the night, to bring the sad news of a death or serious injury in a road traffic accident as a result of drink driving.

I compliment those persons injured in road accidents and the families who have lost loved ones who participated in recent road safety campaigns. All of us can see their sheer perseverance and anguish in trying to get the message out, particularly to young people, to reduce their speed and not to drink or take drugs before driving. Our roads must be treated for what they are, a tool to be used calmly, sensibly and with respect for all users. However, we must all adhere to the facts. I am critical of the Road Safety Authority in respect of its reports and its back-up for these legislative proposals. The authority was selective in the extreme, relied mainly on the advice of one good doctor, Dr. Declan Bedford, and did not take into account the broader impact of these changes. I agree with Deputy Aylward that we must take an holistic approach to road safety. In the case of young drivers and learner drivers, for example, we should examine the option of introducing a different scale of penalties and a different licensing system.

We cannot merely legislate with a stick all the time. We must also have a carrot in the form of encouraging people to educate themselves about acceptable driving behaviour. I compliment the Garda Síochána's traffic corps on the work it has done in my county. By and large there has been a sea change in terms of compliance with existing legislation. Young people are showing the way in this regard because most of them are strongly opposed to drink driving and will automatically book a taxi or make other arrangements to ensure they and their friends get home safely after a night out. On the other hand, people in later years, especially in rural areas, are often not used to travelling by taxi and may not have access to a taxi service. Some of them do not have telephones and may not have had electricity for very long. For such people the provisions of the Bill are somewhat draconian.

As I said, I do not condone drink driving, which has been the cause of far too many accidents, but I am here to represent the greater good of the entire community, including rural areas. Rural life has been severely depleted in recent years for a plethora of reasons. We have seen a flight from the land, followed by a 2009 budget that was severe and drastic.

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