Seanad debates
Wednesday, 5 February 2003
Road Safety: Motion.
The Government must continue to deliver on enforcement and be seen to be doing so. It is that which has caused the welcome change in behaviour over the last three months – people's fear of having their licence taken away from them. If that fear is weakened over time, the bad behaviour will slip back to where it was and we will have lost the ground made so efficiently in recent times. There must be no doubt in anybody's mind that those engaged in speeding will be caught and prosecuted with the full rigour of the law. We must make sure that is understood. Similarly, the Government must show its determination to extend the enforcement of the road traffic laws beyond speeding because it is only one of the killer behaviours we must change – the others being drink driving and travelling without seat belts. Tackling these three elements will make a major impact on road deaths. On all of these fronts the Government must show it intends and means business. If it does not convince the public it is serious about this, no progress will be made and what we have achieved will be lost.
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