Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

We all join in the welcome. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, to the House. I am pleased to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate on this long-awaited legislation which is of significant importance and, hopefully, of long-term benefit. I see this legislation as not being a crackdown on drivers or driving but as a support to the 90% or 95% of careful drivers who take driving seriously and do not cause accidents.

The number of deaths, following road accidents, in Ireland during the past decade has been shocking. Perhaps the position has improved somewhat during the past year or two but it is still a national tragedy of enormous proportions when hundreds of people are being killed on our roads every year bringing despair and tragedy to many families and involving a huge economic and social cost. It is important that the issue is tackled and, hopefully, the Bill will help in that regard. It is ironic that on the day we are debating the Bill there is the difficulty with the driver testers and instructors. That issue has been with us for some time and is one to which I will refer later.

We have debated road safety on numerous occasions. I hope the Minister of State is listening and will continue to listen to us. I have regularly addressed the issue of signposting on our roads, which is not only inadequate but useless. Much more dramatic signposting is needed, ranging from "slow down" signs, "dangerous bends", "junction ahead" and so on. We are using the type of signposting that existed 20 or 30 years ago and it is not having the desired impact on the public. I ask the Department to commission a study on better and more dramatic signposting which will grab the attention of the driver. I know this is part of the driver testing system, but people are no longer taking notice of signposting because it is so out of date.

I ask the Minister of State to bring the issue of inadequate signposting on national routes to the attention of the National Roads Authority. Take the road from Dublin to Cork, for example, a road the Minister of State probably has little cause to travel. Traffic from Dublin to Cork begins on the Dublin-Limerick route then takes the turn for Cork at the Portlaoise bypass. Traffic can travel at 70mph, using the old terminology, on this section of road yet one almost reaches the turn before one sees the signpost for Cork. I have seen people go 50 to 100 yd beyond the Cork turn then try to reverse back along the motorway which is treacherous. If the road was better signposted this problem would not exist. It is not rocket science to suggest there should be adequate signposting two to three miles before that major turn off, with further signposting every mile until one reaches it. This is a small point that I have raised here previously and relates not just to the Dublin-Cork road but also other roads. Dangerous driving could be averted by proper signposting.

We must support the ban on using mobile phones while driving, yet I support the assertions of Senator McDowell. It is difficult to see, in terms of danger posed, the difference between hand held phones and the car kit. It is politically correct to ban the use of mobile phones and insist on the use of the car kit while driving, but when one is taking or making any call while driving one cannot concentrate at the requisite level. This situation should be kept under review.

On a related topic, is the Department of Transport examining the use of Dictaphones while driving? Hundreds of people use Dictaphones every day and I often see them being used by drivers. How does this differ to the use of a mobile phone in the same situation?

Many of my colleagues have expressed concern at the use of left-hand drive cars in the State and I support them on this issue. The statistics showing the number of people killed while driving such vehicles in the past 12 months are frightening. Many of these drivers are new to the country, they are entitled to stay and drive here and we welcome them. However, carnage resulting from people driving left-hand drive cars and not knowing the roads requires attention. We may have to consider banning the use of such cars in this country. I acknowledge that this could adversely affect tourists and perhaps we could introduce a system with a two to three week permit for a visitor to enter the country and use a left-hand drive car if he or she is a genuine tourist. However, we could not allow this in the case of a person living and working in the country for, perhaps, two or three years. Left-hand drive cars cause many accidents and this issue should be studied in detail and requires a response from the Minister. This response may necessitate a ban on the long-term use of left-hand drive vehicles. The statistics show we cannot close our eyes to the many serious and fatal accidents involving such drivers.

I welcome the introduction of fixed speed cameras and more mobile patrols. When speed cameras were first introduced a number of years ago they had a real impact in the initial weeks and months, but then a mentality of "out of sight, out of mind" set in. As mentioned by Senator Ormonde, we cannot ignore road death statistics. The vast majority of drivers involved in accidents are young, the vast majority of accidents occur late at night or early in the morning, and a significant number of those accidents occur on secondary and county roads. Speed cameras, no matter how many or where they are placed, will not resolve this issue.

The issue of the speed limit requires consideration. It is bizarre and dangerous that some of our narrow, inadequate county roads allow drivers to travel at up to 80 km/h yet stay within the speed limit. The speed limit must be reduced on some of these roads due to the number of accidents and our inability to improve the road network.

If we had better quality cars, roads, driving and road manners we would have far fewer accidents. However, these issues will not be solved overnight so the issue of speed limits on rural roads must be considered.

Driving skills and etiquette are in short supply and I therefore support the previous speaker on the role that schools can play in tandem with the Department of Education and Science. I have written to the Minister for Education and Science on this issue on a number of occasions. There should be driving instruction of some sort in secondary schools, presumably during transition year. If our young people grasp the concept of responsible driving, significant progress will have been made. Over the past decade we have succeeded in imparting, to young people in particular, the dangers of drink driving but we have not succeeded in the same way on speeding, modified cars and boy racers. At 16 or 17 years of age, in secondary school, young people should receive limited instruction on driving skills, manners and the concept of road safety. This is the best long-term measure we can take to stem the tide.

I support the concept of mandatory breath testing. However, I have a question regarding the Second Stage contribution of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, when he said "following lengthy consideration of this issue, which included a very significant engagement with the Office of the Attorney General supported by independent legal advice" and so on. We have had discussions on the Office of the Attorney General in recent days and weeks but why is it necessary to seek independent legal advice above this office? Who sought such advice and who provided it? Was there a difference between the legal advice supplied by the Office of the Attorney General and this independent legal advice? Perhaps the Minister of State could comment on this or supply the information at a later stage.

This is an important day for the Seanad and the Oireachtas as we commence this debate. This Bill is in all of our interests. It is not a political football, we must support it, debate it in full and try to improve it if necessary. We should return to the old adage of the three Cs of driving that were espoused in the relevant booklet when I sat the driving test, namely, care, courtesy and consideration. We should get back to that route, if you will excuse the pun. We need better driving manners and a better understanding of the issue. The speed cameras and mandatory checks on the side of the road will not work on their own. This should be about promoting better standards of driving and the concept that the driver is not merely responsible for himself or herself, and the car, but for the wider community using the roads. We must try to get involved at an earlier stage. Some input in second level schools could be crucial in this regard. I warmly welcome the Bill and look forward to the response of the Minister of State.