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

I accept the Minister's point about the difficulty with the drafting of the amendment. Obviously we are investigating and invigilating complex traffic laws on our own with very limited resources. Solicitors have earned their living from dealing with traffic law, among other things, down the years. This offence is a major factor in road safety. Looking at penalty point totals to October 2016, out of 791,000 penalty points issued almost 560,000 were for speeding. We have said previously during Question Time and in other debates that speeding is the number one issue that we must address with respect to all elements of road safety. By far the second biggest offence, for which 82,000 points were awarded, is driving a vehicle while using a mobile phone. It is a major issue. I thank the Deputies who spoke in support of this amendment. We all understand the pressures people are under but that practice we must stop. Is it possible to increase the penalty points in this instance similarly to what the UK is doing at present?

See this speech in context