Results 8,701-8,720 of 15,510 for speaker:Brendan Griffin
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Everyone accepts that people are less able to drive a vehicle when they have alcohol in their system. We had a BAC limit of 80 mg and it is now 50 mg, but there has been a derogation for concentrations between 50 mg and 80 mg. Is there evidence to suggest that the derogation is the cause of increased accidents and fatalities?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: There is not. The point is that there is a derogation for concentrations between 50 mg and 80 mg at present.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Is there evidence to suggest that the people who have a concentration between 50 mg and 80 mg are the cause of more accidents?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Why target that cohort? Why is this measure in place? There are many other causes of accidents on the roads. Why prioritise this measure? Can you tell us whether there is evidence that the derogation for those with a concentration between 50 mg and 80 mg is causing the problem?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: The punishment is disqualification as distinct from penalty points. What supports the increase in the punishment for those with a concentration of between 50 mg and 80 mg?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Is there any hard evidence to suggest that this measure will prevent more accidents?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: If we make the change in the punishment for those with a concentration of between 50 mg and 80 mg now, is there evidence to suggest that the figures will come down? Is there evidence that accidents would not have taken place had this measure been in place previously?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: I have a question on the use of telephones. In Japan, people have developed an app to enable people not to use telephones in the car. The Japanese have implemented this. Could something like that be considered? In the UK six points is the punishment for the use of a telephone. Is that being considered by the Department?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: My next question is on seat belt use. Seat belts are a factor in a certain percentage of fatal in-car situations. Approximately one fifth of people are not wearing seat belts. Can anything be done? I know many cars have alarm bells and so on. Can anything be done apart from the enforcement side of things and greater visibility of gardaí? Can anything more be done on that front?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: There is another issue that needs to be clamped down further. This relates to the number of children unrestrained in cars. They are standing up between seats and so on. The numbers are shocking. We have had instances of child fatalities at low speeds. Again, this is something we need to address through education. Another issue relates to learners and the culpability of car owners...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Can you address the learner situation?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Let us suppose someone needs the car for work and that the person is in a rural area. It would make sense.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: I have a final question on safety efforts, educational efforts and awareness. An idea occurred to me relating to a safety first campaign. There are two Garda days each year, there is a UN day, safety week and the EU day without a fatality. In total, this comes to seven or eight days throughout the year. A number of areas need to be highlighted at the start of every month. We need...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Yes, this is about the casualty figures. Since it is newsworthy, we could work with the media to generate awareness and have a theme for each month. This would enable us to highlight the areas we need to address like seat-belt wearing and speed issues. They could get extra coverage, not only on the designated days of the year but at the start of every month. We run the risk of losing...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: And Deputy O'Keeffe's.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: What evidence is there regarding the 50 mg to 80 mg difference? How many accidents have been caused by people in the 50 mg to 80 mg range? Has the Minister evidence of how many accidents have been caused by people in the 20 mg and 50 mg range? If we are to pass legislation, surely it should be evidence based. Can the Minister provide us the evidence?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: But the 50 mg limit-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: That means that the limit should be 20 mg across the board, seeing as how that is the commercial drivers' limit.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: Were we to have the same for everyone,-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)
Brendan Griffin: I am not. I am asking what evidence there is to suggest that there would be merit in changing the penalty for people who show a reading of between 50 mg and 80 mg. What is the evidence?