Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join with others in welcoming the Minister and I am happy to speak on this issue, particularly with the increase in road tragedies.

The aim of the Government has been to reduce road deaths rather than taking the line that mortalities on our public roads are an inevitable feature of increased mobility in the country. The challenge of reducing the number of road deaths, despite an increase in the volume of traffic, has been met with determination and commitment from the Minister. Although targets are ambitious, road accidents and deaths must be decreased. I am pleased the penalty points system has impacted significantly in this regard.

Figures released by the Department show that more than 130,000 drivers have penalty points while almost 1,000 have accumulated six or more. There are now 20 drivers with ten penalty points on their record, just two short of disqualification. Road accident statistics indicate that in the 17 months since penalty points have been introduced there have been 479 road deaths, compared to 582 for the previous 17 month period. This demonstrates a significant reduction.

The counties which accounted for the largest proportion of road fatalities from the years 1995 to 2000 were Dublin and Cork which, when combined, accounted for 466 road deaths out of a total of 1,758 during the period. Rough calculations indicate this is 26% of the total. However, when we examine the proportion of penalty points designated to these two counties, it is clear the cities are over-represented. Some 44,093 drivers from Dublin and Cork have been given penalty points out of 117,387. This is approximately 37%, which means these counties account for 37% of penalty points but only 26% of the fatalities. That is a disparity of 11%. It is incredible that a county, such as County Donegal, which accounts for almost 6% of road fatalities accounts for less than 2% of the penalty points. This needs to be explained and addressed.

It appears that the Garda concentrates its efforts in urban areas where large volumes of traffic exist and drivers are being stopped on predominantly safe stretches of road where the speed limits are quite low. I am concerned that drivers are being stopped as the speed limit does not make sense and needs to be changed. I understand the Minister is actively engaging with the local authorities in addressing the speed limits around the country and I would encourage this initiative wholeheartedly so that the penalty points system maintains its credibility. We all agree that the penalty points system will work only if the nationwide speed limits are logical and reasonable. As it currently stands, three out of every four motorists hit by penalty points are being apprehended in low speed 30 to 40 mph zones. Although this speed is the largest contributory factor to road deaths in Ireland, it seems madness that speed limits are 40 mph on dual carriageways and 60 mph outside schools.

Figures released to the Joint Committee on Transport show that 41% of detections were within a 30 mph area, 20% were in a 60 mph area, 4% were in a 50 mph area and 1% within a 70 mph area. Not surprisingly, this has prompted claims that the Garda was not targeting the high accident, high speed roads where many fatal crashes were occurring. Most accidents occur on dangerous back roads where there are higher speed limits, yet 34% of detections are being made in 40 mph zones. I call on the Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, to re-evaluate the speed limits as a matter of priority. I mentioned this in the earlier debate when the penalty points system was being introduced. While I am aware he has instructed the local authorities to address this matter, they will require direction from the Department.

The Galway ring road, a road with which we are all familiar, has a 30 mph zone. One could land a Concorde on it. The Lucan bypass is a 50 mph zone and has a camera on it. One could land a smaller aircraft on that route. The N4 approach to Carrick-on-Shannon is a wide two-lane road. Three miles from the main roundabout, as one approaches the town, there is a 40 mph zone. I declare an interest and apologise as I have four penalty points, which I deserve. On one occasion on the Carrick-on-Shannon bypass, a garda approached me at 1 a.m. as I returned from a busy week here, and handed me two penalty points as if they were two tickets to the All-Ireland final. I admit I broke the law but speed limits on such roads need to be examined.