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

I strongly support subsection 1(1)(d)(i), the substitution by the Minister in the original Bill, and commend him for it. I am not a member of the Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport but I read carefully all the comments by colleagues at that committee.

The points the Minister made on his proposal are fairly unanswerable, in particular, that between 2012 and 2016, 3,003 fixed penalty notices were issued to drink drivers in the 51 mg to 80 mg alcohol concentration bracket, alcohol is a factor in 38% of road deaths and, most importantly, the Road Safety Authority tells us that at least 35 people died in collisions in the period from 2008 to 2012 which involved drivers being found responsible owing to alcohol levels between 21 mg and 80 mg. These are decisive statistics, unlike what Deputy Troy has said, and they make a strong case.

When one looks at the overall situation again this year, for example, last month we had 17 fatalities compared to just seven in April 2017 - ten more people died on our roads last month than in the same period a year previously - and 55 people in all have died on the roads this year. Fifty five tragedies is an incredible number.

I welcome again to the Gallery the representatives of the PARC road safety group, in particular, Ms Susan Gray and her son, Stephen, Mr. Noel Clancy and his daughter, Fiona, and Mr. Alec Lee, who have campaigned strenuously for the key two amendments, I believe, improvements, in road traffic law which this Bill constitutes and on which the statistics are strong indeed.

Deputy Troy referred to rules in the United States and in Canada. If Deputy Troy, who is a diligent transport spokesperson, looks at the road casualties in some American states, in particular, states such as South Carolina, Alabama or North Carolina, which are roughly of the size and population of Ireland, he will find that the casualties on Irish roads are devastating.

I believe that the Minister has made a powerful case for the original insertion of this amendment Bill and the House should speedily enact it. I commend the Minister.

I believe the amendments that have been submitted to dilute this, whether involving five penalty points or whatever, unfortunately, will detract from road safety and will permit a horrific situation to continue whereby alcohol will be a significant contributory factor to deaths on our roads.

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