Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the positive news on the front page of one of the national newspapers today about the economy turning the corner. It is important that we talk up what is happening because the world's media are watching to see how confident we are about ourselves. We must not talk ourselves into deeper problems.

I wish to raise in road safety week the issue of visibility on the roads. We should have had a debate on road safety this week; perhaps it might still be possible to have one. The evenings are becoming shorter and many are out walking, running and cycling, but few wear reflective vests and few pedal bikes have lights. This poses a danger to those involved. In addition, we see cars, the lights on which are not working, or perhaps are not clean. Whether in urban or rural areas, people are getting the message and participating in exercise - on that subject, I wish myself and the Oireachtas team well in the Dublin Marathon which will take place in the next couple of weeks - and are out and about on the roads, but many do not seem to be aware of their own safety or the fact that drivers often do not have enough knowledge of or respect for other road users. A debate on road safety, therefore, is important. I have mentioned before that traffic islands on roads into many towns are lit high up or sometimes not at all. A simple reflective band around the cement base would be a major step forward in ensuring road safety. There are many such issues. I come from an area in which there have been many tragedies on the roads. It is important, therefore, that we keep this issue to the fore.