Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 13:

In page 27, after line 38, to insert the following:"38.Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 2006 is amended by inserting after subsection (4) the following:

"(5) The offence of holding a mobile phone while driving shall incur six penalty points with a fine of €160. If summonsed to court it shall result in an automatic disqualification for six months for first offence on conviction.".".

This amendment relates to the offence of holding a mobile phone while driving. I propose an increase in the penalty points and fine that apply. There is a general perception that the use of mobile phones in vehicles, which is a distraction from driving and a serious threat to road safety, is both growing and prevalent. If we check the number of penalty point offences for this, it is significant. This is a matter which many people believe needs to be addressed. A problem in the area is the Garda traffic corps has been decimated in the seven or eight years since the onset of the recession to fewer than 700 gardaí. The level of enforcement that people expect and that we need for safe driving in the country has deteriorated. It needs a vigorous response. There has been much comment about the decline in the application of points and fixed-charge notices, even though the use of mobile phones while driving, perhaps when taking a corner or going through lights, seems to be even more prevalent. In the UK, this has also been attributed to the decimation of its traffic corps because of continuing austerity by its Government since 2010. The amendment is an attempt to focus on this element of very bad driving and on a practice that needs to be stamped out.

We are all under this kind of pressure, particularly, people in our business and people who in their business are constantly on the move with people trying to contact them etc. Clearly one cannot use a mobile phone and drive. My amendment seeks to highlight the problem.

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