Mary Henry (Independent)

I welcome the Minister to the House as well as his sensible Bill. I would like to give him and Members a little bit of information. My faithful 1991 SAAB convertible registers kilometres as well as miles on the dial. Many motor accessory shops sell plastic dials which display speed in kilometres per hour and people can attach them to the dial of their cars.

An issue of particular interest to me has not been addressed today. I had hoped the matter would be dealt with during my time in the Seanad but I am now wondering if that will ever happen. When I first became a Member of the Seanad mention was made of the introduction of a driving instructor standards authority. While a voluntary register has been put in place there has been no further progress on the matter. There was a great deal of communication with the Department of Transport some years ago on the introduction of such a register about which the Irish Driving Instructors Association was encouraged. As far as I can recall, the association set up a voluntary register in the 1990s which is part funded by the Department. I have received different estimates on how many driving instructors are registered. I am often told the figure is 90% and other times I am told it is three out of four. This is an important issue.

Improvements have been made to the driver testing system which now includes a theory test and a practical session. It is important to ensure that those who teach others to drive have a formal education in that area. While some instructors take the matter seriously, the fact they are not required by law to take it seriously is foolish. It is not good for instructors to instil their idiosyncrasies regarding driving into another generation of drivers. I learned to drive during the time when one's mother or father taught one. That was not a desirable way of teaching people to drive. I hope the Minister will introduce such a register soon. Ireland is the only European country which does not have one. While the Irish Driving Instructors Association receives advice from its counterpart in the UK, it is important we introduce a driving instructor standards authority here. I hope that is done fairly soon. I have raised this matter with several Ministers for Transport but to date nothing has been done.

Members have made important contributions on the Bill. Another issue not mentioned is that of the separation of traffic. The Minister of State spoke of the importance of road-users' behaviour. It is difficult for cyclists to be as helpful as they could to motorists when there is not enough space on the road for both. We should separate traffic, particularly in urban areas, wherever we can. Reference was also made to motorcycles. The statistics on accidents-fatalities among motorcycle users are very high. Motorcyclists are extremely vulnerable people. Motorcycles can travel at great speed yet there is little facility which enables them to separate themselves from general road-users.

Another set of road-users who are not helpful — I come within this grouping — are pedestrians. We are a terrible nation of jaywalkers. We tend to always try to cross the road before the next car comes along. Many elderly people are frequently knocked down within ten yards of a pedestrian crossing. Instruction of pedestrians in terms of their responsibilities as road-users would also be helpful. The statistics on pedestrian fatalities involving highly intoxicated people are worrying. Approximately 50% of pedestrians killed on our roads were intoxicated. Senator Norris referred on the Order of Business to a pub in Marlborough Street which has been closed for three days for serving people who were inebriated. I regret to say it has not yet closed. It appears it will close for three days at its convenience.

The Minister of State may recall the bus driver who drove over a pedestrian who had fallen down in front of a bus in O'Connell Street. Pedestrians have a responsibility to consider their safety and that of others. They should not believe they could not be involved in an accident just because they are not behind the wheel of a vehicle. In fact, they could be the people who cause an accident.

Senator Wilson referred to driving with one's lights on. The Minister should consider the introduction of legislation to make mandatory that one drives, during the winter months, with one's lights on. It is often very difficult, given heavy cloud cover and the shorter day, to see people on the road. I recently drove to and from Belfast via the magnificent new road and noted that motorists, particularly around the Dundalk bypass, were driving without lights quite late in the evening making it quite difficult to see them.

I congratulate the Minister of State on introducing this Bill. I hope he will be the one to establish a driving instructor standards authority. There would be no major effort required in doing so. The matter is simply being left on the back burner.