Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will be even more aware than I am that speed is one of the great killers in the road safety firmament and it is something that still causes a lot of deaths in Ireland. Despite the fact that our road safety figures are somewhat better, speed remains a top killer and it is something we must face up to. The fact that we are facing it, mostly on housing estates, and we are reviewing the speed limits to try to introduce consistency acknowledges that. Hopefully, that will keep the numbers of road deaths as low as possible.

I wish to tackle the larger issue the Deputy raised, namely that we should consider some of the approaches to the speed problem on the continent. I am open to any suggestions which would work to save lives. I would not turn down any such suggestions. I am in the process of putting forward a road traffic Bill, which tackles the problem of speeding and addresses it with graduated penalties for speeding. That will be aimed at tackling this problem but if the Deputy wishes to make amendments to that Bill when it comes through the Houses, I will look on them as benignly and as favourably as possible.

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