Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Recent years have seen a very impressive drop in the number of fatalities on Irish roads and I know Members on every side of the House wish to see that particular graph continue to decline. When one considers that, in 1997, some 472 people lost their lives on Irish roads and the target for 2020 is to reduce that to 124, this means thousands of people are alive today who, without the driver safety initiatives of recent years, would undoubtedly be dead or seriously injured as a result of an accident. The trend, thankfully, has been constantly downward, and every step must be taken to ensure this continues.

The figures relating to road deaths are very easy to rhyme off, but we all know the immense pain and loss that lies behind each one of those figures. Such deaths cause untold suffering for years and decades to come, especially in cases where no one is brought to justice for the accident. I note that this week gardaí in County Galway renewed an appeal for information on a hit-and-run in Ardrahan last year. On 16 November last year, a 65-year-old pedestrian, Gerard Keane, from Ardrahan was hit by a vehicle that did not stop. I wish to publicly state my support for that renewed appeal.

Young drivers aged 21 to 25 continue to be the highest group for road deaths, so much of the focus has to be on their behaviour. One element of driver behaviour is seat-belt wearing, and when one considers that almost one in eight of those killed on Irish roads last year was not wearing a seat belt, it becomes clear that changing driver behaviour will save lives. Drugs and alcohol are also contributory factors in many fatal accidents. I welcome the fact the Bill currently before the House reduces the threshold for disqualification for novice and learner drivers, which aims to underline to them the seriousness of taking alcohol and driving.

In changing times we need to ensure that the law keeps apace with modern living, for example, the increased penalty points contained in this Bill for use of a mobile telephone while driving, an offence to which Members on all sides of the House need to give much greater consideration. Increased drug use is also another facet of modern life and it is not just among the 21 to 25 year old age group that this is prevalent. It is frightening when one considers that a 2008 study by Hibernian Insurance found that one in three young drivers in Ireland had driven under the influence of drugs, yet no comprehensive roadside drug testing mechanism exists, unlike in Australia, where such testing is carried out at the roadside. There are a huge number of people driving every day under the influence of illicit drugs, but there are also, I believe, many thousands driving around while extremely impaired through the use of legal drugs. One need only speak to anyone involved in addiction services to fully appreciate the scale of the problem that exists in terms of people addicted to extremely strong but legal substances. Huge resources have been invested in terms of combating legal drugs such as alcohol but, to date, little attention has been paid to the multitude of drivers on Irish roads under the influence of stimulants and sedatives. Whether it is Valium, Xanax, morphine or codeine, to date, those drivers have faced little prospect of detection, while undeniably being a serious menace on our roads.

I note that the increase in penalty points is targeted at many of the areas that have been highlighted in road safety statistics and reports, such as the wearing of seat belts, but I very much welcome the reduction in the number of penalty points for not having an NCT certificate. The idea of penalty points is that bad drivers would accumulate penalty points over time and thus would risk disqualification, but in the current economic climate we must ensure that many poor families do not face disqualification because of poverty.

The provision in this Bill which allows for blood to be taken from incapacitated drivers is welcome. I am glad to note that while the permission of the incapacitated person is no longer required, a specimen will not be requested if the taking of a blood specimen is judged prejudicial to the health of a patient by a doctor. I also welcome the introduction of preliminary impairment testing to identify drug driving, which, hopefully, will result in further decreases in the number of lives wasted on our roads.

Some people would argue that the reduction in drink driving was a result of higher Garda visibility and, while I believe this was one element in the success, I also believe the investment in strong television advertising was a crucial element in changing social attitudes. The same level of resources now needs to be invested in drug driving. Such advertising would have to, on the one hand, emphasise the dangers of taking illicit drugs and driving, but, on the other, and even more importantly, underline how reckless it is to be driving when seriously impaired by legal drugs.

The past 15 years have seen a necessary and welcome reduction in road deaths. However, if that trend is to continue downward, we must continually update our legislation to reflect the changing pace of modern life. I believe this Road Traffic Bill aims to do just that.

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