Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not intend to pursue the amendment. However, it is useful in Parliament to ventilate, as the Minister has, that there are other sources of data that we need to consider. I hope hospitals, general practitioners and the insurance industry will always co-operate in this regard. This is a matter on which we are all on the one side and the data should be as comprehensive as possible. The amendment is intended to have the issue debated in Parliament because it has been debated outside by groups referred to by the Minister. If 166 people were to be killed in a single event, it would be a national emergency. That is the number killed on the roads every year. We cannot be vigilant enough in collecting data and examining all of the causes of road traffic fatalities. It is an immense tragedy for so many. There is also the large number of road traffic injuries, of which we are not aware because they are categorised in different statistics.

The Minister's bona fides in this area need no endorsement by the House. He has established his credentials and done an immense amount of work on the issue of road safety, with more to come tomorrow. I thank him for his response and the way he is always willing to discuss the issues we raise. This is a good and noble cause.