Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I speak about the national car testing system, I would like to join the Minister in wishing Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis-Goff the best in their business venture. It is said the best gift for any person is a book and the fact that they are supporting Irish authors is a great bonus for Irish authors. I wish them every success.

As the Minister outlined, the reason we need an NCT system is to ensure that vehicles are in sound, wording order. As he stated, the NCT system commenced in 2000 when cars over eight years old had to be tested. In 2002, any vehicle over four years old had to be tested every two years. Now cars over ten years old have to be tested annually. As the Minister said, we have 47 centres nationwide with four new centres due to open. He announced that two centres in Dublin and one centre in Cork are offering a 24-hour service, four days a week. It is amazing to think we have garages, supermarkets and now an NCT centre offering a 24-hour service. Therefore, there is no excuse for any person to say that they could not get an NCT test carried out on time.

The NCT test is an essential part of the overall road safety strategy and it has helped to improve the safety standard of vehicles on our roads. As the Minister said, last year was a bad one in regard to the number of deaths on our roads. Some 190 people were killed on our roads, which is an increase of 28 compared with the 162 people who lost their lives on our roads the previous year. If we look back to the 1980s when approximately 500 people died annually on our roads and to the 1990s when 400 people died annually on our roads, we can see that the safety measures that have been put in place have most certainly helped to reduce the number of fatalities.

The NCT is one of a number of safety measures which has been brought in over the years, together with the Road Safety Authority, the changes in legislation and the awareness campaigns through advertisements that highlight the dangers of speed, drink driving and, more recently, driving while on a mobile phone or being under the influence of a controlled substance. The combination of all these safety measures has been a major factor in reducing the number of fatalities and making our roads a safer place for all.

Out of more than 1 million vehicles tested last year, 52% failed the NCT, which is approximately 650,000. We all know that cars can fail for various reasons, from a minor fault such as a broken registration plate bulb to more serious reasons. More than 2,000 cars failed the NCT due to problems with their tyres, suspension, faulty brakes or brake lines, or faults that fall into the more serious category. These are cars that are on our roads that could cause a serious accident and contribute to accidents causing serious injury or fatalities.

More than 2,300 vehicles were deemed dangerous at the test centres. This means they should not be on our roads. It is an offence to drive such a vehicle and the penalties, if this is discovered, include fines of up to €2,500, the awarding of penalty points and up to three months in jail. However, if a test deems a vehicle to be dangerous, the Garda must be informed and it should make sure that the vehicle is not allowed on the road until the fault is rectified. Statistics show that the highest percentage of fatalities on our roads involve young males between the ages of 17 and 35 and eight out of ten fatalities are male. Young men when buying their fast car do not buy a new car. They buy older models, often over ten years old. It is important that these cars are tested annually.

Applus, the company running the NCT centres, is phasing out written notifications for testing vehicles. This is unsatisfactory. We receive notifications of our car tax, insurance and so on. The NCT notification is more important than any other as it determines the safety aspect of one's vehicle. I ask the Minister to intervene and request at a minimum that a text message would be sent to replace the notification as a reminder to all.

As the Minister stated, the new legislation we passed last year imposes five penalty points on a driver who has not had their vehicle tested. I welcome the fact that a fixed charge is now in place comprising three points and a €60 fine, but the implementation of this law is a problem as gardaí are often too busy with other duties. It is to be hoped that with the new recruitment drive in the Garda Síochána, checking to ensure motorists have a valid NCT will be fully policed because failure in this respect could literally be a matter of life and death. The concept of having all vehicles tested is necessary. If the Minister were to instruct the RSA to mount an advertising campaign about the need for an NCT and ask Applus to continue to notify drivers of their due test date, it would help to make our roads safer.