Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When discussing these issues with the RSA, it points to enforcement, education and engineering. All over the country, people are driven berserk when they turn off national primary roads onto tertiary roads on which grass is growing up through the middle and where the first thing they see are poles bearing 80 km/h signs. The RSA will point out that this is not the desired speed, but the maximum allowable speed. However, major problems are being caused because roads are being assigned speed limits for which they are unfit. Local authorities have the option of examining such limits, but it is a cumbersome process, is taking too long and is doing road users a disservice. Is there a way to shorten the process?

Deputy Harrington raised a point. Aside from road fatalities, could the categories of injury be broken down? A road accident that sees no fatalities can still cause destruction, in that people can be left paralysed or seriously injured. If the RSA, in conjunction with the hospitals, including the National Rehabilitation Hospital, could be encouraged to produce the relevant figures, it would act as a stimulus for the road safety programme.

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