Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators from the Progressive Democrats for proposing this motion this evening and all the Members who have contributed thus far. It affords the House the opportunity to debate an issue that is important both from a national policy perspective and for the personal safety of every citizen in this State.

It is a fact that road safety policy reaches into every home, and the results of road collisions can shatter lives well beyond those directly involved. This House has an enviable record in pursuing debates on road safety, which shows the concerns that Senators from all sides have to ensure the issue retains a high level of focus both in the public consciousness and in the delivery by the Government on its commitments.

Road safety is a multi-faceted area of public policy that demands contributions from Departments, the Garda, dedicated national agencies such as the National Safety Council, the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, the National Roads Authority and local authorities. As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for the co-ordination of road safety at Government level. The framework within which road safety policy is pursued is through the development of national road safety strategies, which provide a central reference for the pursuit of agreed policy initiatives over specified periods.

By 1997, it was clear to the Government and all the agencies involved in road safety that a change of policy was needed to reverse the steady rise in road deaths experienced over the previous three years. A total of 1,362 people lost their lives in road collisions between 1995 and 1997. That is an average annual toll of 454 deaths. While that of itself represents a shocking scenario, what was also of great concern was that the level of road deaths had been rising throughout the mid-1990s, and something dramatic had to be done to address the situation.

By contrast, over the same period, the majority of EU states were experiencing reductions in road deaths. What was particularly striking was that the downward trends were more noticeable and more consistent in those countries that had adopted road safety policies based on the development of strategic approaches featuring specific targeted reductions. The achievement of those reductions was supported by policies aimed at the delivery of improvements in respect of key contributory factors to road collisions, fatalities and serious injuries.

In 1997, faced with ever-rising numbers of road deaths, the Government determined that the only prospect that we had of reversing the trend was to adopt a first national road safety strategy, The Road to Safety, designed to cover the period from 1998 to 2002. The headline target set in the strategy was to achieve a reduction of over 20% in road deaths and serious injuries during its lifetime. The Road to Safety strategy recognised that reducing the incidence of road collisions depended on the deployment of measures to improve the interaction between roads, vehicles, drivers and other road users from a safety perspective. However, it also recognised that the single most important factor is the behaviour of road users.

Accordingly, particular focus was placed on achieving improvements by addressing the three key contributors to road fatalities, namely, excessive speed, non-wearing of seat belts and drink driving, under the last of which I would include driving under the influence of drugs. Those three problem areas still present the greatest challenge to road safety both here and abroad. The road safety strategy outlined activities that ranged across a broad number of areas. However, those identified as having the greatest potential impact were the following: the road safety promotional campaigns; the programmes of accident counter-measures and traffic-calming measures; the extension of the basis for the operation of preliminary breath-testing; and the introduction of a system of penalty points for speeding, failure to wear a seat belt, driving without insurance and careless driving.

The support of targeted enforcement measures by the Garda was seen as being crucial to the achievement of the goals established in the strategy. In overall terms, it has to be said that the strategy was successful in so far as the primary targets established were achieved and, in the case of the reduction in the number of serious injuries, surpassed. Significant reductions in fatalities and serious injuries were recorded in 1998 and 1999 and again in 2002. A review of the strategy carried out by an independent international road safety expert confirmed that the overall approach adopted in the strategy provided the most appropriate response to the overall road safety situation facing us.

The downward trend in fatalities achieved during the years covered by the strategy continued in 2003, when we recorded the lowest number of fatalities, 335, since 1963. Over that 40-year period, the number of vehicles and drivers in Ireland had more than quadrupled. Unfortunately we have seen a greater number of road deaths in 2004 than in the previous year, with provisional end-of-year figures for 2004 showing 380 fatalities. So far this year, we have seen an increase in the number of road deaths, with 118 deaths on the roads by 25 April, compared with 116 at the same date last year.

In that context, while the increase in road deaths so far this year is a cause of immediate concern, it should be viewed against the background of the significant progress achieved, especially over recent years. That does not lessen in any way my concern about the increases, especially as the level of deaths in 2004 is being maintained so far this year. I am convinced, however, that pursuing a strategic approach to road safety policy continues to be the most appropriate way forward.

The number of road deaths in the first two and a half years after the penalty points system was introduced was 143 less than the number of road deaths in the two and a half years preceding the introduction of the system. If the first road safety strategy not been introduced and road deaths had continued to increase at the rate at which they were increasing before the strategy's introduction, the annual number of road deaths would have exceeded 550 in 2002 and would now be much higher. Casualty levels of that nature have ceased to be the norm as a result of the policies which have been implemented and the general approach that has been adopted under the road safety strategy.

The Government's 2004-06 road safety strategy reflects on the need to remain vigilant by focusing on the continued promotion of road safety. Its primary target is to reduce road collision fatalities by 25%, when compared to the average annual number of fatalities between 1998 and 2003, by the end of 2006. If that target is achieved, there will be no more than 300 deaths per annum by the end of the period covered by the strategy. Such an ambitious target will require a strategic and integrated approach on the part of all the road safety agencies.

I have spoken about the recent increase in road deaths, which is a cause of concern. It places the challenge of meeting the target set for the end of 2006 into stark focus. If we are to achieve the target, a significant reversal of the worrying trend that has been noticeable since early 2004 must be achieved. The achievement of the target depends on continuing to emphasise the approach that underpins the strategy. Therefore, there is a need for a continued focus on issues such as speeding, drink driving and the wearing of seat belts. As there continues to be a particular focus on vulnerable road users, the Garda and the National Safety Council launched a campaign focusing on pedestrian safety earlier this week.

The road safety strategy, which seeks to achieve further reductions in deaths and injuries, proposes a range of enforcement, engineering, education and legislation measures. I have a sense of unease when it is suggested that it would somehow be satisfying if the number of deaths on the roads each year were to be reduced to 300. Such a death rate would not be satisfying, but it would demonstrate that Ireland is moving towards best international practice. I would not like one to think that my view and that of the Government is that such a figure would somehow be acceptable.

I have had many discussions with the chairman of the NSC, Mr. Eddie Shaw, who has brought a tremendous level of energy to this area. He has argued that we need to aspire to best international practice. People are right to look for targets when Government strategies are being drawn up and we have done that in this instance. The target will help us to measure whether our policies are successful. We met the target in recent years, but it is clear that the trend for 2004 and so far in 2005 is unacceptable and extremely worrying. We need to increase the level of effort we are making if we are to achieve the targets we are aiming for by 2006.

Many major road safety policy initiatives are being examined over the period of the Government's current road safety strategy. An appropriate form of random preliminary breath testing for drink driving is being considered. I will refer in a moment to the establishment of a network of speed cameras, to be operated by private sector interests. Many Senators have referred to the need for a comprehensive package of measures to address issues relating to driver licensing and testing and that is being considered. The full system of penalty points will be rolled out in the most appropriate manner. In recognition of the importance of enforcement, the Garda has made a commitment to achieving specific levels of enforcement in three key areas — seat belt wearing, speed limits and drink driving.

The proposed introduction of random breath testing has been the subject of significant debate and consideration for many years. The Road Traffic Acts provide that the Garda is empowered to check all drivers who have been involved in road collisions or have been found to have committed a traffic offence. The Garda also has the power to demand a test of a driver who, in the opinion of a member of the force, has consumed alcohol. We need to consider carefully whether we wish to allow for full random breath testing. Senators will be aware that drink driving laws have historically been the subject of regular scrutiny in the courts. I do not intend to pursue a policy initiative in this area until I am satisfied that a more generally applied system of roadside testing provides clear potential for improving road safety on a sustained basis. I am sure the House will appreciate the need for great care in pursuing such an initiative.

A second significant proposal in the new strategy relates to the engagement of private sector interests in the provision and operation of speed cameras. One of the strategy's key targets, which relates to the enforcement of speed limits, depends on the deployment of speed cameras on a scale that would necessitate the involvement of the private sector. The proposal has been the subject of an in-depth examination by a working group, chaired by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and representing other key interests such as the Department of Transport and the Garda Síochána. The working group's report has been presented to me and to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Senators will recall that the involvement of the private sector in providing and operating speed cameras was discussed in some detail during the debate on the Road Traffic Bill 2004. I share the concerns of many Members of both Houses, who said during the debates on the Bill that the ethos of private sector operations may be to maximise profits, rather than to engage in the advancement of road safety. I am pleased, therefore, that the working group's report has clearly recommended that private sector operations should focus on locations where there is a history of speed infringements or there are genuine road safety concerns. The group further recommended that locations for the use of cameras should be determined by the Garda. I am determined to ensure that decisions on camera locations should be made by the Garda, rather than at the whim of private companies.