Feargal Quinn (Independent)

My attention was drawn some years ago to the very large number of road deaths occurring in Ireland. I am delighted to say the number has decreased dramatically in the past ten years. My attention was also drawn recently to the European Commission website on road safety and its section on travelling abroad reminds people travelling to different parts of Europe to stay within the law. There are different laws aimed at road safety throughout Europe It is interesting to note our laws in that regard. We are not obliged to have a first aid kit, a florescent jacket, a warning triangle or a fire extinguisher in a car. Those are mandatory in a number of other European countries, while other countries are taking steps towards that goal. These are comparatively easy steps to take. It is dramatic when a person's car breaks down, be it in the mud, the snow or at night time, and we hear of the horror of death caused by other cars that hit people when they are trying to repair a breakdown. We can do something about this. It has been proposed in the past, but the Minister has not moved on it yet. I believe it would be very simple to introduce such a measure.

Yesterday, there was an item on the radio about motorcycle helmets, which are classified in Ireland as luxury products and attract the highest rate of VAT, whereas in the United Kingdom, they are zero rated for VAT. As well as encouraging people to wear a helmet, it seems a simple step to take to focus attention on road safety and bring it to a higher level.