Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is obvious that the Acting Chair has a personal interest from his very informed comments as well.

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome his proactivity in this area and the fact he is very committed to it. His professional background as a doctor can only suggest that not only are the fatalities a horror for families but some people are left with life-long injuries that are a horror, life-changing in a detrimental way and detrimentally changing for whole families. It is a serious matter.

My colleague went through this very comprehensively and I will just go over one or two issues quickly. Obviously, alcohol is the old chestnut and there is no avoiding that. We must be rigorous in this regard. To paraphrase Senator Dooley, there is a lot of evidence from many sources that drug-driving is prevalent. Drug testing on a regular basis is crucial. There would be an assumption that drug testing was not taking place so that people would feel more comfortable. From my understanding, the effect of drugs can last for a number of days and weeks after intake in some instances, depending on the substance. That is a critical matter that needs addressing.

The Acting Chair’s point about the country roads is true. The road issue is exacerbated by weather and so on. That is a problem in country areas. Senator Dooley made the point about the black spots, coming into the black spots and driver behaviour.

I do not have the personal expertise to make valuable proposals to the Minister of State. However, as a public representative and as someone living in the community who meets and listens to people on a daily basis, I know this needs tackling and there is horror around it. There is an expectation from Government that we do something. I am confident that when the Minister of State takes something in hand, he addresses it. I am pleased that the Taoiseach listed it in his priorities on his assumption of office. That should only support the Minister of State’s work.