Brendan Ryan (Labour)

The Labour Party has already welcomed the publication of the new Road Safety Strategy 2007-2012 and I as the party spokesperson on transport in this House want to emphasise that support further. However, we believe it needs to be backed up with strong enforcement measures if it is to be effective and successful. Critically, that enforcement must be highly visible to the wider community.

I commend Mr. Gay Byrne, the chairman, and Mr. Noel Brett, the chief executive and all the team at the Road Safety Authority on preparing a new road safety strategy. It is a much better and more focused strategy document than its predecessor, Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006, with a greater focus on results than on operational activities which was a feature of the previous one. There are 126 valuable proposals in this report, including a new target for cutting road deaths to no greater than 60 fatalities per million by the end of 2012 and to reduce serious injuries by25%. This is to be welcomed and, if attained, will be a wonderful achievement. The stated primary aim of the strategy is to save lives and prevent serious injuries by reducing the number and severity of collisions. While I welcome this aim, I note that the target for serious injuries in the 2004-06 strategy was abandoned and there are still major issues to be resolved involving the collection of road traffic injuries data.

The report indicates that the first phase of the new graduated driver licensing scheme will begin when learner permits will replace the existing provisional licence system. To drive unaccompanied on a learner permit will now be an offence, as will driving without L plates. Nobody could disagree with changing a policy which requires learner drivers to be accompanied by a qualified driver until they complete a test but, having failed a driving test, there being no such requirement. However most people disagree with the shambolic way the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, attempted to introduce the change. However, enough has been said on that and the U-turn or three-point turn has been completed.

It is disappointing the Minister has again refused to make a decision on whether to reduce the blood alcohol limit to 50 mg. Instead of stating clearly whether they wish to maintain the present 80 mg of alcohol limit, the Minister and the Taoiseach have again kicked this issue into touch. Another consultative process is under way with legislation, if necessary, only to be brought forward in the second quarter of 2009.

The central question regarding the new strategy is how effective the enforcement measures will be. The document states that the target level of 1,200 Garda traffic corps personnel will not be reached until the end of 2008 at the earliest. It is pointless to roll out a series of new measures if they are not backed by the relevant Garda and judicial resources and I call on the Government to accelerate the process immediately. Just last month Garda figures indicated that as many as 50% of motorists fail to pay fines accrued for driving offences. What message does this send out?

Road safety must be one of the Government's highest priorities. However, the last road safety strategy ran from 2004 to 2006 and we have had nearly a whole year with no safety strategy in place. The 2004-06 road safety strategy contained a number of measures and targets that were never implemented, including provisions on road death targets, reform of the provisional driving license system, mutual recognition of penalty points with Northern Ireland and measures to tackle people driving under the influence of illegal drugs. Many of these measures are rightly included in the new strategy. A question arises, however, regarding how the targets laid down for speeding in the new strategy will be measured. The targets in this area refer to increased compliance, but how is this to be measured? There are also concerns about possible cuts in expenditure for the RSA and other safety agencies in the forthcoming budget. If the Minister is serious about the strategy, he must ensure this does not happen.

My colleague, Deputy Broughan, suggested that the new Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport should publicly invigilate progress on the road safety strategy on a half-yearly basis to ensure its full implementation rather than leave it to gather dust on a Minister's shelf. In Gay Byrne's introduction to the strategy, he stated that the RSA will report on implementation of this policy and the progress made against its targets and gave his assurance that the agency will do all that is humanly possible to deliver the strategy in full. I do not doubt Mr. Byrne's determination but success will be dependent on various agencies and I hope he is not let down by the Government.