Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ireland has rules that are stricter than most other countries in Europe. Fianna Fáil proposes to increase the number of penalty points from three to five and to increase the fine to €500 for those caught with blood alcohol limits of between 50 mg and 80 mg. This is a sufficient deterrent because eight out of ten accidents that occurred as a result of alcohol have all involved blood alcohol levels of between 100 mg and 200 mg. Those are the people we need to go after.

Speeding is the other issue. As I went home one night recently, a car overtook me close to a bend on a road with a double white line. I got a fright because there was a line of cars in front of me. When drivers who behave in that way are caught, they should definitely be reprimanded very strongly with a threat of jail. Not only could they cause their own deaths, if anything was coming the other way as they approached the bend there could have been six or seven people killed, including myself. These are the drivers we need to go after, not the honourable, decent people out there.

When we consider where accidents happen, it is on national primary roads. Some of these roads only have two lanes. There needs or be more investment in roads. There are very seldom road fatalities on dual carriageways but they often occur on national primary roads. The latter should be dual carriageways. Parts of the Mullingar to Sligo road are only wide enough to accommodate two cars or, just about, a car and a lorry. That is a fact. I refer the Minister to the section of N4 from Castlebaldwin to Collooney.

There are 27 white crosses on that stretch of about 11 km of road to mark where 27 people were killed, not because of drink but because of speed, possibly, and because the road is not of sufficient quality for the traffic on it. The traffic on that road is constant.

Another issue that the Minister did not look at was phones. If the Minister went for a drive today he would see someone smoking or on the phone and driving at the same time.

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