Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

If one had been required to eat food as well, as was the case with discos, it would have made sense, but this law was applied for some reason. This shows how far our mindset has needed to come to return to the point at which we do not drink and drive. I have two sons younger than 21 years of age who have full licences. They would not dream of going out unless some member of their group was not drinking. Otherwise, they would hire a taxi. This is how far we have come. Mine are not perfect children, but they are typical of their cohort, although there are notable exceptions.

We must consider other factors. There are cars with "For Sale" signs on lay-bys that show contact numbers for racing clubs or whatever they are called. Convoys of these drivers travel up our national routes seeking beach areas or large public car parks in which to perform their doughnuts and so on, normally under the cover of darkness. They have probably not consumed any alcohol, although they may have consumed other intoxicants. Their groups are led by peer pressure. In the legislation of some American states, a clause states that one can only drive between the hours of sunset and morning with a member of one's family and no one else. One cannot bring a buddy or girlfriend on whom one wants to make a big impression. Even without the "assistance", if one wants to call it that, of alcohol, people get led into doing things they would otherwise not do.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan touched on a matter. Goodbody's has estimated that the cost of road deaths and serious injuries between 1990 and 2006 was €14.9 billion. It is an horrendous figure. No life can be measured in terms of cost and an event which causes devastation to a family cannot be assessed in monetary terms. Nevertheless, €14.9 billion is a huge cost for a country of 4 million people to bear. Anything we can do to improve matters must be considered.

We must try to be responsible. We cannot ignore the fact that alcohol is a factor in road accidents. I do not think we can quantify the numbers of people with a blood alcohol level of between 50 mg and 80 mg who have been involved in or caused serious road accidents. Some of the provisions in the Bill which allow for mandatory testing will determine that. The Bill, if it is enacted, will allow us to determine it more accurately. We may have a more reasoned and sane debate on this issue when the Bill had been applied and properly enforced.

Reference has been made to the number of hours spent on traffic monitoring and to the use of speed cameras and testing. Any effort to reduce the number of road deaths is worthwhile. Awareness campaigns, improvements to roads, the identification of accident black spots will all contribute to that reduction. When we have taken the measures provided in the Bill we should assess their effectiveness. I do not think its effects will be as bad as some predict or as good as others claim. It gives us a chance to make things better and improve conditions.

Most people drink alcohol when socialising. The effective implementation of drink-driving measures has reduced the number of people socialising in public houses at night. It is also said that greater enforcement of licensing hours and the ban on smoking in pubs have contributed to this decline. It is not a coincidence that this reduction has taken place at a time when Monday morning absenteeism has become unacceptable. Sunday evening from 6 p.m. to closing time used to be the busiest night in rural pubs. Saturday night is now the busiest night of the week. Others go to public houses to watch sport on television and do not drink much. This has all contributed to a decline in drinking. Between 2007 and 2009 in County Wicklow, 17 public house licences were not renewed.

Notwithstanding all of that, we must consider the issue of isolation. We must strengthen the rural partnership transport scheme. I compliment the outgoing Minister of State, Deputy John Curran, who, despite coming from an urban constituency, saw the value of the scheme and made efforts to restore it. However, it must be developed further rather than reduced or curtailed.

Damaged roads and accident black spots must be dealt with. A good driving and pedestrian environment must be provided. Many developments on the edges of town have not been completed, footpaths and public lighting have not been provided and speed limits have not been reviewed. I was in west Cork last weekend on my way to a certain function in Killarney. I saw a road in Clondrohid which leads to the birthplace of Bishop Felim O'Shea. Deputy Sheehan knows the road well. It is dirt track on which one could hardly ride a bicycle yet it has a speed limit of 80 km/h. I took a photograph because it is so ridiculous.

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