Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of people who died as a result of road traffic accidents on roads here in 2005; the number of those where the accident took place between 12 midnight and 4 a.m. and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5221/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Statistics relating to road accidents, based on information provided by the Garda Síochána, are published by the National Roads Authority, NRA, in its annual Road Accident Facts reports. The most recent report, now entitled Road Collision Facts, relates to 2004 and is available in the Oireachtas Library and on the NRA website. In 2004, 374 people lost their lives in 334 collisions. Some 63 of these collisions took place between 12 midnight and 4 a.m. The provisional end of year figure for 2005 shows a total of 400 deaths on the roads. Statistics relating to 2005 have not yet been fully analysed and authenticated however, so a breakdown by time of day is not yet available.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 436: To ask the Minister for Transport if coach and bus drivers will be subject to penalty points if they use the outside lane on a motorway or a dual carriageway to overtake slower vehicles while staying themselves within the appropriate speed limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5222/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to motorways, it is prohibited since 1997 under article 33 of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 to drive a bus or coach that accommodates more than eight passengers in the outside lane except where it is necessary to proceed in that lane due to an obstruction or because another lane or lanes is or are for the time being closed to traffic.

Penalty points will be applied to the driving licence records of coach and bus drivers who are convicted of an offence or to those who pay a fixed charge to the Garda in order to prevent the instigation of court proceedings. This road traffic offence is included in the Schedule of offences listed in the Road Traffic Act 2002 to which the penalty points system can be applied and it is one of the 31 offences to which I propose to extend the penalty points system in April 2006. This driving rule only applies to outside lanes on motorways so a driver of a bus or coach is not prohibited from driving in the outside lane of a dual carriageway or other classes of road.