Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join with others in welcoming the Minister of State to the House. I welcome this Bill, which, as Senator McDowell noted, establishes a road safety authority and gives the Minister the opportunity to make regulations, which is very positive. Any measure which attempts to resolve what is effectively a national emergency involving the deaths of so many people is a positive development that must be constantly reviewed. The Bill is an important step in this process.

As other Senators have noted, one death is too many but at this stage, road deaths are out of control. If we recorded a similar number of deaths from air accidents, we would ground airplanes. At the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the number of people killed in certain years may have lower than the number of people killed on the roads but there were 3,000 or 4,000 gardaí and half of the Army at checkpoints during that time. Yet, the problem of road deaths is more serious on an ongoing basis so we must commit additional resources or introduce additional measures if necessary.

The establishment of the authority will be of considerable assistance in terms of the licensing system, vehicle testing and instructor competence. The register of instructors is a very important measure. Other speakers have addressed these issues in significant detail but the single most important part of this Bill is section 6. This section does not concern the administrative or regulatory setting in which the authority will be involved. The Minister of State's speech states that the aim of the section is to encourage better driving. This is where the authority's role is most important because one can introduce all the penalty points, signs or speed cameras one likes but one must address the specific demographic group of people who are being killed on the roads for specific reasons, namely, alcohol and speed. A wide variety of sources glamorise speed, fast cars and associated alcohol or drug abuse, which contribute to road deaths. This is the single most important issue facing the authority. I hope it will not be an authority in name alone but that it will get involved in innovation and the conceptualisation of new ways of getting young people to engage with the necessity of saving lives and acting more responsibly. Let us make it cool to be responsible rather than reckless.

Senator Wilson referred to Gay Byrne becoming chairman of the authority. I welcome his appointment, as he is a man of tremendous life experience. While Senator Wilson said he did not particularly like him, women over a certain age seem to like him. That said, let us not lose sight of the fact that we must focus on a specific demographic. While I do not doubt that Gay Byrne could do this, his role is to convince his younger colleagues in the media, acting and celebrity worlds to engage in the process. Ultimately, it is the likes of Colin Farrell, Podge and Rodge and the Sugababes who need to state that driving slower and more responsibly is the smartest and coolest thing to do. With the best will in the world and while it is welcome that Gay Byrne has agreed to take on this role, he could not sell the message to me, a 33 year old. We need to focus on the 17 to 25 year old age group, which I previously mentioned to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen. I hope Gay Byrne can draw on his friends and colleagues, such as U2 and others, to help in this regard.

As the Minister of State knows, the north west was lucky to host Rally Ireland. We are confident that counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and others in that area will host a round of the World Rally Championship in coming years. It was important that, during the event, there was signage all over the region that read: "Keep the race in its place". Top drivers and people from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA, were there. With the helicopters, Ferraris, Aston Martins and so on, it was like a Formula 1 weekend in the region. Young people were bowled over. If we are to sell the message, these are the events on which we must focus. I hope that the authority, through Motorsport Ireland and Rally Ireland as it grows and develops, will continue innovating in this way.

If possible, the incentivisation of younger drivers should be examined. For example, in return for placing governors in their cars to stay below a certain speed, they could get cheaper or subsidised insurance premia. I would do this myself. The possibility of using a driver simulator such as that used in flight training could be examined. I do not know how practical it would be, but as we innovate in pursuit of a successful conclusion to this worsening issue, we must examine the possibility. If it were reasonable to train people in simulators, it would be a good step. How much time have I remaining? At the outset, I intended to say that I wished to share my time.