Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I know Deputy Gormley would agree with me entirely. Last year, 240 people were killed on Irish roads, a decrease from 410 at a maximum. This is a very good news story but 240 deaths is unacceptable and the Minister is well aware of this. He is introducing this Bill in which he proposes to reduce the permissible level of alcohol in the blood from 80 mg to 50 mg and he is to be commended for this measure.

It is extraordinary when health issues are raised that people will make the case that one death is far too many and we need to spend a lot money on medical procedures. We should not be prepared to accept that so many people are being killed and many more injured on the roads.

One of the reasons for the decrease in the number of road deaths is better quality roads and better quality cars. The NCT test ensures cars are maintained to a higher standard of road worthiness and this helps to bring down the number of road deaths. There is good evidence from across the world that good quality roads lead to fewer road accidents.

A total of 33% of road accidents are caused by blood alcohol content being above the acceptable limit. We have to move to a situation in which our society will accept that no level of alcohol in the blood is acceptable for a driver. I do not believe it is acceptable to drink and drive in any way, shape or form. I hear all the arguments about rural people and the social life in the west but it is incumbent on society to find ways in which people can have a good social life without having to drink and drive. There is no problem with people drinking but there is a big problem with people drinking and driving. It is possible to have designated drivers. Communities are wonderful at adapting to new situations. I do not believe we should allow people to be isolated but we need to consider measures whereby those who live in isolated areas can find a way to have a decent social life without having to drink and drive. This is the challenge. The two should not be mixed. It should not be the case that everybody should be allowed to drink and drive because a few people in the country find it difficult to have a social life. That is not an acceptable argument.

Senator Joe O'Toole talked about planning issues. I agree that planning is an important aspect in the prevention of road accidents. The length and difficulty of journeys are important considerations. We must ensure people have safe journeys. There is a greater potential for accidents if there is a combination of high speeds on small country lanes. In my area of Galway, there was a farcical situation where the speed limit on good quality two-lane roads was reduced to 50 km/h while just slightly up the road, one is entitled to go at the maximum speed limit on a small boithrín. This was ludicrous and I railed against it. Thankfully, measures are being introduced to ensure appropriate speed limits are being put in place. However, more needs to be done.

I refer to the practice in the North of a category of restricted drivers. My car has a learner driver L plate on it because my wife is learning to drive. I have a full licence. I notice a few smiles on the other side of the House.