Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I do not wish to use the lives of unfortunate people killed on the road as statistics. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that if 378 unfortunate people had been killed on our roads last year instead of 379, we would have achieved our target of 20%. I hate having to quote statistics in that way but as Opposition Senators chose to raise the matter I must point out the facts.

Fear of being caught is a major influence on motorists' behaviour. I propose that the programme of installing speed cameras be extended, particularly into urban areas and housing estates. We all face the problems of cars speeding through housing estates and if something is not done quickly there will be even more fatalities. It would be more beneficial to re-allocate money from some of the traffic calming schemes, particularly at locations where there is already a traffic bottleneck and speeds rarely exceed ten or 15 miles per hour. On my way from Cavan to Dublin I drive through Dunshaughlin, which is a nightmare during the early morning and early evening rush hours. The main cause of the difficulty appears to be a set of pedestrian lights which are not used by pedestrians. The towns of Kells and Virginia have similar problems. Cavan town also suffered until the bypass was built.