Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

The Minister's efforts will make both rural and urban Ireland much safer. This Minister has got the right approach to this issue. I also commend Gay Byrne, whom I noticed said he would not continue with his job unless he saw a decrease in the number of road deaths. He is as good as his word.

I note the European target is 205 road fatalities, which is 50% of the peak this year. I believe this is just about possible. It would be a fantastic achievement if this happened. However, I will add the rider that 205 road deaths is not acceptable but it is certainly a lot better than 410 deaths. I have been presented with costs for road deaths. I do not like to introduce the word, "cost" in this context as each death is a human tragedy. Every family in this country knows people who have been killed on our roads.

I note the focus both on alcohol and drugs. This is important because I question why illicit drug use should not be tested for. I also raise the issue of tiredness which, in my view, is a cause of accidents. People should be educated to the dangers of driving when tired as they do not associate tiredness with death or danger. In some cases, people who are extremely tired are much more dangerous on the road than people who have taken a small amount of illicit substances. I am not saying the other guys are safe but tiredness is a great cause of road accidents and this is known to be the case.