Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Daly's amendment to the Order of Business and join with other colleagues in welcoming the launch today by the Road Safety Authority, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Garda Commissioner of the Christmas safe driving campaign. I also welcome the fact that the loophole that existed in the Road Traffic Acts preventing gardaí from getting samples of blood from people involved in serious accidents who were unconscious or seriously injured has now been closed. The gardaí can now do so. This will lead to safer roads.

I suggest to the Leader that we have a specific debate on road safety. Those of us who have been commuting to and from Dublin are aware that we have recently had very dense fog, particularly over the last two nights. I was amazed at the number of people driving without their fog lights. Believe it or not, some were driving without any lights on. I do not know how it is that there were not more serious accidents. It is time to have a general debate on road safety. It is time the Government made a substantial allocation to the Road Safety Authority so that it can conduct major publicity campaigns on safer driving. It is very necessary.

I join with Senators Daly and MacSharry and others in calling for the debate suggested by Senator O'Neill on the water charges debacle. We cannot have a proper debate without the man who created this mess present in the Chamber. He did not listen to the people in this Chamber, nor for the three hours in the lower Chamber. That man is now a European Commissioner. He is over in Brussels, happy to be away from us all. He created this mess-----