Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is most welcome, as is the Bill. I am pleased to see how much good stuff there is in it. I had the pleasure of working for some time on the club awards system of the road safety committee which gave awards for good behaviour. I wish to throw that in as well. There is a good deal in this Bill which corresponds to the stick but let us ensure that the carrot is present as well. I recall during the years I served on the committee the number of good ideas that emerged to reward good behaviour, ideas and concepts on that basis.

Appointing Gay Byrne to the Road Safety Authority was an inspired idea. He is there for some years now, but it seems he has a voice that is listened to. I do not know whether he is correct at all times but it seems to have been a very good move.

A number of things in this Bill make a great deal of sense, particularly the "N" plate, or "Novice" plate. The steps on drink driving are worthy of consideration as well. One area that must cause some accidents is the frustration of being delayed. I live in Howth and to go to the airport we have to go through a DART turn, and seeing 20, 30 or even 40 cars build up while the gate opens on both sides causes frustration. To what extent is it possible to change that?

I agree entirely with the point that Senator Crown and Senator Barrett made earlier in respect of smoking. Is this the opportunity to add a ban on smoking in cars, at least for smoking while driving? Senator Crown is pushing hard in his Bill about smoking with children in cars, but what about smoking while driving? There must be something we can do on that basis. Drivers must be treated like adults and the intelligent human beings that they are. Some common sense needs to be taken into account. In some countries, including the US and Belgium, drivers can turn on a red light if they see that nothing is coming. In Belgium, a driver can proceed at a pedestrian crossing if there are no pedestrians. This may seem outrageous, but if they cause an accident, they are liable. We need to be a bit more progressive on that issue. It would speed up traffic and would show that we treat drivers as responsible adults, which 99% of them are.

In the same way, I do not think that cyclists should be fined for breaking a red light automatically. They are much different than motorists and pedestrians, and we should not be imposing fines and treating them like car drivers. Paris is now allowing cyclists to turn at red lights, but any accidents occurring while they are crossing will be deemed their fault. These are things that we should consider. We should also be more progressive on the issue of cyclists. Some counter-intuitive measures work better than just banning or firing people.

I have raised the following issue before and have received support from the Government but for one reason or another, the measures have not been implemented. These include making it mandatory to have a first aid kit, carry fluorescent jackets, a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher in cars. These are concrete measures to improve safety and perhaps may save people from injury and even save their lives. It would be much tangible than PR slogans if we could do that. A number of countries have legislation in this area. A warning triangle is already compulsory in many European countries. France and Germany are examples. These could be mandatory items sold with new cars from next year, with a cost of €5 to €10. Many car manufacturers, such as Mercedes Benz, have been supplying their cars with triangles for years. Other manufacturers also provide first aid kits. In some countries, such as Spain, France and Belgium, a driver has to wear a reflector vest if his or her car breaks down and he or she must get out. The reflector vest must be kept in the glove compartment or somewhere similar, and not in the boot of the car. It is strongly recommended in many European countries to carry a fire extinguisher in case of an engine fire. Can we look at that issue here? The Minister has looked at a number of these issues but there are steps that can be taken.

Can the Minister confirm the exact number of people employed directly and on short-term contracts with the Road Safety Authority? I am a big admirer of the RSA, but I looked at its website and I would like to know the number of consultants hired.

I note from its website that the Road Safety Authority has 309 full-time staff. As I believe that may be an old figure, will the Minister please confirm the figures? It seems to me there are things we can do and there are things we must do. Let us make sure we get as much right. I compliment the Minister and his officials on the work they have put into the Bill. I urge that any steps we can take to improve the Bill be taken.