Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I second the amendment in the name of Senator Paddy Burke. He has elaborated on the problems with regard to road safety. I was surprised that the Progressive Democrats proposed this motion because the defects of the current system are obvious. The motion probably clarifies the situation with regard to its deficiencies, but it is not a situation on which the Government can congratulate itself.

This saga began with the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Seamus Brennan. When he announced the penalty points system and changes were made, there was a temporary dip in the number of accidents. This was welcome and the Minister was applauded on his initiative. However, over a period road accidents and fatalities have again increased. We must ask why, against the backdrop of the past two years, there has been a degree of inactivity. The penalty points system has been undermined in recent times, perhaps as a result of the courts throwing out many cases. This brings us back to the legislation and whether it is adequate. Unfortunately, quite often when legislation leaves the House, extra vigilant legal people pick up on the deficiencies in it.

The major difficulty with the system is that drivers driving regularly on a familiar stretch of road know the locations where gardaí will be waiting with their cameras, etc., and slow down accordingly. For example, I know of a particular stretch on a fine modern road in the Limerick area where this is the case. There is never any accident on this stretch because the drivers know there is a 100 km/h restriction and that the gardaí are there on a regular basis. People who travel that road regularly are familiar with the location. There are other similar locations.

Senator Dardis referred to the situation regarding speed cameras and this being highlighted on a bank holiday weekend. The situation should be highlighted because it is farcical. The cameras were set up in three locations, Meath, Louth and Dublin. Some 20 installations were set up and three cameras are rotated between them. However, nine of the camera sites are inoperative and only 11 are functional. How can these three cameras have any application to road safety? It is like a band aid treatment for road safety.

We have heard much talk over the past few years about cameras. The Government is now considering privatising the system and having mobile cameras around the country. The private operator will obviously see the system as a good revenue mechanism. I do not mind whether it is private, as long as we see commitment on speed cameras. Quite often the cameras are hidden from the motorists. They should be in their faces. We should also have as many of them as possible, like in the United Kingdom. There they are in villages and at different locations around the country. People become conscious of them and are more vigilant about their speed as a result.

The situation regarding driving tests is farcical. The Government made a commitment on driving tests in its programme for Government. Now, however, it claims the embargo on recruitment to the Civil Service is deterring it from taking on driving testers. We have 117 driving testers in the country and, depending on location, people wait from an average of over a year for a test to 18 weeks in Ennis. This situation is deplorable because it pressurises people with provisional driving licences. My colleague has already described the type of people driving on provisional licences. Often those provisional licences are renewed regularly.

In Northern Ireland it takes an average of four weeks for people to be called for their test. Perhaps we should see what we can learn from what they are doing there. We do not seem to be getting to grips with the problem. I remember that years ago when we had a similar backlog, the Minister then introduced a measure whereby people with an existing provisional licence were given a full driving licence in order to clear the backlog. I do not advocate this now, but the situation needs some measure introduced to deal with the problem such as the appointment of temporary testers to help clear the backlog. Then the Minister could proceed on a structured basis to deal with driving tests so that people need not wait so long for their test.

The Department of Transport has carried out studies regarding the different locations for driving tests. Why is the failure rate 12% higher in Wicklow than in Shannon or Ennis? There is a wide variation in failure rates by location. Driving testers cannot be blamed because they adhere to standard guidelines. However, the calibre of driving instructors in a number of locations is open to question. A driving instructor can set up without having prior experience or undergoing an examination. The register of instructors is voluntary and includes 1,200 names. However, only one quarter of these are registered. The regulations in this area must be strengthened. Legislation relating to driving tests is on the way and the sooner it is introduced, the better. All these issues feed into road safety problems. If the Government got the formula right by addressing areas under its control, road safety might improve. One does not have to be Einstein to do something in this regard.

Has the Department conducted research on the number of road fatalities that occur between midnight and 5 a.m.? Drugs, alcohol and fatigue are often contributory factors in these accidents. The likelihood of meeting a garda on the road between those hours is remote. Regrettably, many fatalities occur during this period. It is difficult to prove alcohol is the cause of a road fatality but the time at which many of these serious accidents occur is significant. The number of accidents is a problem and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has tried to do something about it by recruiting additional gardaí. However, it is fine to establish a traffic corps and announce that gardaí have been deployed to it. Are sufficient bodies deployed to cover the State?

The issue of road safety is not being taken seriously enough and the jigsaw is not being put together by the Government to do something significant about it. That is why I am surprised the motion has been tabled. The Government's road safety policy has serious defects. The National Roads Authority recently commissioned a Dutch road safety expert. He travelled throughout the State but he did not encounter a garda on road traffic enforcement duty. What critique will he have provided? What will he have said when he returned to Holland regarding how serious Ireland is about tackling road safety issues?

Rosemary Smyth is a well known former rally driver who runs a driving course for transition year pupils in second level schools. It has proved effective in gearing them up to drive subsequently. No State assistance is provided for this course and this should be examined. Special advanced driving courses are run for people who wish to drive fast cars. Centres should be established where young people could be inculcated in good driving habits before they use the road. Senator Morrissey is correct that the driving test is conducted primarily in urban areas and at low speeds and no cognisance is taken of motorway experience or driving at night. Many aspects of the test need to be analysed and addressed. I fully support the amendment.