Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see him back in the arena. These transport facilities are not available to people who live outside the Pale, and it worries me. Very often, legislation seems to suit the big towns and cities and the Pale, while we are forgotten about in so many ways. The legislation will prevent young people from using their vehicles, despite having undergone stringent theory tests and having had a huge number of lessons from professional tutors. If nobody qualified is available, the car remains parked outside their doors and they cannot reach their destinations. Many, if not all, of these young people would be far better qualified than many of us, having undergone their theory tests. When we learned to drive, 35 years ago, we did no theory tests. It was enough to recognise a few signs, do a handbrake start and reverse around a corner. My colleagues, who are wiser than I, have done this.

While the Minister is going the right way with the high level theory test, he must re-examine this. Young people would be far better qualified than people like me, who have had a licence for almost 40 years and who, notwithstanding the experience they have gained in the those years, have garnered poor habits which a learner driver would be better to avoid. Many parents in rural areas may buy vehicles to allow their children to travel to third level institutions. I have in mind Athlone Institute of Technology, one of the finest in the country, for example. These people come from rural areas such as Ballinacarrigy, Castlepollard, Multyfarnham, Bunbrosna, Edgeworthstown, Lisryan and Coolamber. These cars would be useless and there is no bus to bring them to Athlone Institute of Technology. In the absence of a qualified driver to accompany them they cannot access third level education, and it is nonsensical.

My colleague, Senator Marie Moloney, raised this in the Seanad with the Minister. I salute him for taking the debate there. These things do not go unnoticed by the ordinary mortals like ourselves. Senator Moloney gave the Minister the statistics available for 2013, and they showed that 6% of fatal collisions involved learner drivers, which means 94% did not involve a learner driver. Similarly, 6% of collisions in which serious injuries were sustained involved learner drivers and 94% did not. We are leaning very heavily on learner drivers. The Minister can point to accidents involving people aged under 25. I am a practising barrister and am not blind. I have three daughters aged 25, 22 and 18, and they are far more careful than I. People see this as another way of punishing people and safety does not seem to be the paramount objective. The RSA is driving this, and while it has done good work, if safety and competence among young people is its prime objective, why not consider adopting a proposal I have made here over the years? I propose the RSA liaises with the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Education and Skills and the Environment, Community and Local Government and get them to incorporate driving lessons into the school curriculum.

Driving is as important as the three Rs. When a young person emerges from secondary school or the transition year programme or at whatever point one might like to do this, one should ensure they have had access to simulation with motor vehicles. I recall visiting Mullingar community college five or six years ago where this was being done by a company based in County Monaghan. Fair play to Mullingar community college which was ahead of the curve in giving students three or four lessons. The Minister should not be afraid to be innovative. I note his officials are writing and I am glad that is the case. Eight to ten lessons should be provided free in order that when young people emerge from secondary school, they will have the necessary confidence, competence and skills to drive a motor vehicle and will understand the dangers of driving at speed, recklessly and without due care and attention, as well as the importance of driving with no alcohol or drugs in one's system. As I am a pioneer, it is easy for me to say this, but I am glad that the Minister has brought forward legislation providing for drug testing which is a huge step. While I might have the odd negative comment to make here and there, let me praise all of the positive measures the Minister is taking.

A second point I have made during the years concerns something that has been in place across Europe for young drivers and workers under 21 years of age. One should restrict the size of motor vehicle and, even more fundamentally, ensure there is a speed restrictor or governor in place in all such motor vehicles driven by young people under 21 years old in order that they cannot exceed speeds of 60 km/h, for example. It is simple and one would have solved the problem. It would be a practical way of dealing with the issue, rather than not allowing young people who have received important levels of tuition in driving, to drive their cars. The Minister should request the Road Safety Authority to examine this proposal because I genuinely believe - I am making this point in a constructive fashion - it would contribute to road safety in a positive manner and help to achieve the objectives of the graduated licence system he has introduced. This is practice.

I have referred to the national car test, NCT, and the long delays people have experienced and will experience in having their vehicles tested. This is of crucial importance in the context of it now being an offence to use that vehicle without a valid NCT certificate. It attracts significant penalty points, which I could not believe. While it is all right to impose penalty points, I could not believe it and asked myself whether I had fallen asleep in letting that measure through. Therefore, I call on the Minister to ensure drivers are not victimised by the imposition of penalty points when, despite their best efforts, they are unable to secure an NCT slot owing to centres being booked out. As I said, when people are trying to comply with the law, one should allow for this. If they can produce a certificate and are not engaging in pretence, the garda concerned could take a reasonable view.

There is another old issue that the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, mentioned, that is, speed limits are often adjusted. I recall speaking in this Chamber on this subject approximately ten years ago, when the Minister of State used to drive along the same road as me through Palmerstown, beside where Deputy Thomas P. Broughan came from originally. At the time there were five or six speed limits on the road which the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would also have travelled. There were varying limits of 40 mph, 50 mph and 70 mph and one would go from one to the other when, bang, one would be caught. Moreover, one often finds GoSafe vehicles parked or positioned in areas that are genuinely safe. I have not seen accidents at some of the places at which they are located. In common with the Minister of State, I acknowledge and accept that they operate and I am aware of the reason behind their use, but while I travel extensively throughout the country, they are often placed just inside the speed limit zone, which is the sneakiest of things to do. One might just have driven into a speed limit zone and the next second one is caught. They are often also located outside churches or graveyards and I believe reference was made to this in one of the cases. One should be open about this because otherwise, one creates the perception among the public that it merely is a way to collect money. There will be a perception that it is not about safety at all but about collecting money and that it is a revenue-generating device.

These are all practical points and Members must pay far more attention to these real issues that have an impact on citizens in rural areas. I note that two Deputies present, Deputies Thomas P. Broughan and Dessie Ellis, come from the north side of Dublin and they probably experience the same thing. I am sure they could describe parts of their constituencies as rural also, but I refer to where one does not have everything available. I have always been an unashamed advocate on behalf of people in rural areas and rural issues and perhaps had Members paid a little more attention to the genuine issues and matters raised by Deputies from rural areas, there might not be splits in the parties that are leading to the emergence of new parties and groups. People are frustrated that their opinions not getting through. I refer to people outside the Pale and must emphasise that those of us from outside the Pale believe we often do not get a fair shake of the bag. I imagine the Minister of State has often made that point.

See this speech in context