Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The key factors that made a difference in the past in reducing road deaths were around education and enforcement. Yet, these are the two areas where we do not seem to be getting action from the Government. One of the things I noticed over the weekend, which I heard about on the news this morning, was that the Garda introduced an enforcement campaign over St. Patrick's weekend, which referenced the number of people found speeding. One person was travelling at 142 km/h in a 60 km/h zone while another was going at more than 200 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.

It comes back to a point I have made several times. The issue is not that the speed limits we have right now are not low enough; it is that they are not being adhered to. That is the big problem. Enforcement is not in place. While I welcome the Minister talking about cameras and other facilities being put in place, this is an urgent situation. It needs to be dealt with quickly. It needs some sense of urgency around it because far too many families throughout the length and breadth of the country are suffering the tragedy of loved ones being killed or seriously injured on the roads. It is down to reckless driving. We see it all the time. Anyone who uses the roads sees it. The problem is that many of these people are not being called to book when they drive in a reckless way that endangers themselves and other road users.

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