Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister. Road safety is an issue and the fact that, on average, more than one person a day dies needlessly on the country's roads is without doubt unacceptable. All of us have a moral obligation to seriously address this issue as a matter of utmost priority and the Minister has shown and is showing the leadership needed to effectively tackle the problem.

Without doubt, the application of penalty points for speeding by the Minister last October has had a dramatic and long lasting effect on driving standards. The penalty points system has assisted significantly in a change in driver behaviour and increased the level of safety on the road for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Most significantly, since its introduction, the number of fatalities on our roads has reduced by 32%. Provisional Garda figures show that 379 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2002, the lowest recorded since 1965. No one can deny this fact. The introduction of the system has been successful because it has saved lives.

Penalty points are a worry for drivers because they are personal. Fines alone are not that much of a deterrent but the fact that someone can lose his or her licence if he or she collects enough penalty points has had a serious and positive effect on driving standards. However, an overwhelming number of drivers are still being caught speeding. Recent figures show that 18,000 motorists have been issued with penalty points since the system was introduced six months ago and this figure is expected to increase to more than 20,000 by the end of the month.