Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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70. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to clarify his views on the effectiveness of the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána in tackling unsafe driving and reducing road collisions and fatalities; and his plans to assist these bodies in this work and to provide the necessary resources. [15611/16]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister to clarify his views and his recent comments on the effectiveness of the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána in tackling unsafe driving and reducing road collisions and fatalities and his plans to assist these bodies in their work and to provide the necessary resources.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Munster for her question. I presume she is referring to a statement I made at a Road Safety Authority Garda event recently.

Although Ireland, as of the latest available data, for 2014, is now one of the better-performing EU countries in terms of road safety, there is no room for complacency. It is important that we continually evaluate our performance with a view to delivering the best possible outcomes. The Government and the Road Safety Authority have in the past adopted a highly ambitious vision for road safety in Ireland for the period 2013-20 in the current road safety strategy. Progress has already been achieved since Ireland first begun to pursue a strategic approach to road safety in 1998. In the last ten years to the end of 2015, road fatalities were reduced by 58%, from 369 deaths in 2005 to 166 in 2015, our second safest year on record. The stark reality, however, is that each one of those deaths is one too many.

While the RSA has overall responsibility for the strategy, its implementation is overseen by a high level ministerial group which is chaired by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The next meeting of the group is on 27 June and I plan to discuss what action we can take to reverse the unwelcome increase in road fatalities this year which has seen the number rise by 16 for the same period last year. A mid-term review of the strategy will also take place this year. I intend to ensure the review will be used to maintain progress and that the strategy is still fit for purpose.

While highly visible enforcement by An Garda Síochána is important and encourages better road safety behaviour, it is equally important that each of us, as a road user, whether it be as a driver, cyclist or pedestrian, take seriously our personal responsibility to reduce the senseless waste of life on the roads. It is important that we do not rest on our laurels. Some of the road safety figures that have emerged recently are alarming.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister will agree that the key to safer roads is confidence in the method of enforcement of the rules of the road. Garda resources police the roads and these resources have been slashed. The traffic corps has been slashed from 1,200 to 700 members. The CEO of the RSA has expressed serious concern about the lack of gardaí and checkpoints on the roads. It is one thing to say the RSA might need to examine the saturation of its media campaign and how effective or ineffective it is. Given the recent rise in the number of deaths, it is blatantly obvious to everybody that anybody intent on drinking and driving can confidently get into a car and know that there is no chance of him or her being stopped at a Garda checkpoint. That is the problem. The RSA has done good work in reducing the numbers with its graphic advertisements which have been very effective. The problem is the slashing of Garda resources and numbers in the traffic corps. Will the Minister restore the number in the traffic corps which was slashed by 500 to it previous level to address this? One must think in practical terms. It is common knowledge that there is no chance of being stopped at a checkpoint if one is drink driving. If we allow this to creep in, the figures will creep up accordingly.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Much as I would love to be, I am not Minister for Justice and Equality and cannot increase the number in the traffic corps at the drop of a hat. I understand the Deputy's point and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the lack of checkpoints coincides with the increased number of accidents and deaths and the increased number of traffic fatalities in which alcohol was a factor. At the meeting to which I referred there was the launch of a study by the RSA which found the very alarming figure that 38% of fatalities included an ingredient of excess alcohol. This shows that alcohol is becoming a new danger on the road and that people are drinking much more than we thought. There had been an assumption that it was no longer acceptable to drink and drive. That is not the case. Drink driving is very frequent and a large number of fatalities include a drink driving factor. What was worse about the study was that it covered only the period from 2008 to 2012 and the evidence is that the level of drink driving has been increasing since and that it is becoming more acceptable. There is a huge amount of work to be done. I agree with the Deputy about Garda resources. We definitely need more in all areas and they would help. It would also help if we had comparative figures from elsewhere in Europe. People tend to blame growing prosperity and say the reason there are more road deaths is there are more cars on the road and that it is inevitable. I am not sure it is true. This year's figures have increased by an enormous amount, over 24%.