Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, to the House. This is a matter that caught my attention some years ago. I was asked to go on the National Safety Council which had decided to draw attention to those in the media who were highlighting the problem of deaths on the roads. I did not realise how much the problem was capable of being solved until I got involved in it. It is capable of being solved. What it needs more than anything else is a sense of leadership at the top. I looked at France which I know quite well. France had horrific problems. At the last election President Chirac said he would put that issue at the top of his agenda and that it was his priority. Once he said that and put it high on the agenda it actually worked and France has dramatically reduced the number of deaths on the road. The behaviour in France used to be totally different.

If only one message comes out of this debate that we have been tearing ourselves apart with in recent times it is that it needs leadership. I am not speaking only about the Minister who is doing his best, it has to be the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach has got to say this is a priority. What happened in France also happened in Australia. Victoria, in particular, took action. It is interesting to note that recently in Northern Ireland there has been a reduction in accidents and we question why.

I am informed it will cost money to do some of what needs to be done. That is wrong, it is value for money. We can save money in many areas. This is value for money investment. I wrote an article in The Irish Times 15 months ago on the topic of value for money. I took the instance of enforcement and changing the attitude of the nation and it is possible to do so. In my own business we saw how the attitude of people changed on the issue of plastic bags. It happened overnight because we behaved differently. The same can happen regarding road deaths. I was in Australia a few months ago and I was taken by the fact that I did not see anybody drinking who was driving. The question did not even arise. I did not see anybody breaking the speed limit. These things depend on enforcement and that is where we are wrong.

One of the actions we could take, and it is a proposal I made 18 months ago, is to put in place thousands of speed cameras not only on main roads but on side roads and back roads. There is no need for somebody to stand watching them, people automatically take note. If the legislation is enforced there will quickly be an attitude change. We have to change our attitude towards speeding and I believe we can do it.

For many years we have been told there are constitutional difficulties in introducing random breath testing. Suddenly we find we do not have a problem any more. The solution was there all the time but we were not determined or committed enough to introduce random breath testing. If we had to change the Constitution we should have done so. It turns out we do not have to change the Constitution, the solution was there all the time. That is the sort of thing that can happen only if there is determination and if we give the matter priority.

The third issue which was touched upon by Senator Henry is the attitude to seat belts. If we had the experts in here they would say the three issues that are most important are speed, alcohol and the wearing of seat belts. The use of mobile phones is a side issue. If we are determined to address these three issues, and it is possible, we would reduce the problem dramatically. However, none of that will happen without enforcement. It is a question of enforcement and steps are being taken now.

I am not one of those who asks why we did not do it earlier but it looks like something will now happen. It is unfortunate for the parents and families of those who died in recent years that we did not do this in the past but let us grab this opportunity. Let us put the matter high on our priority list and ask the Taoiseach to put it at the top of his agenda as did President Chirac. Then, I believe, it will happen. We are convinced this can be achieved. I know the Department and the Taoiseach's heart is in the right place. Let us ensure it is not just talk but action.