Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that speed limits on the outskirts in towns and villages situated mostly on secondary roads in County Galway are constantly being broken mainly by young drivers who appear to have little regard for the safety of other road users; the extra financial resources he will make available to An Garda Síochána to ensure that as far as possible such behaviour is minimised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39671/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that all members of An Garda Síochána are tasked with enforcing road traffic legislation, and the Divisional Traffic Corps in Galway supplement local mobile units in this task.

I am also informed that a system which focuses on collision prone zones was piloted in Galway West Division and has proved successful in encouraging a compliance culture by all road-users, curbing speeding not only by young drivers but by the general motoring population. This system has also helped in identifying areas where fatal and serious injury traffic collisions occur frequently, and this has allowed local Garda management to assign additional Garda patrols to enforce road traffic legislation and speed limits with a particular focus on these identified areas.

I am further informed that a number of road traffic initiatives and operations have also been put in place. Mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints introduced following the enactment of the Road Traffic Act 2006 are being operated by Gardaí, and extra Gardaí are conducting additional checkpoints, particularly at those times which have been identified as most dangerous for road-users. So called boy racers, the use of mobile phones while driving and heavy goods vehicles are being targeted at these checkpoints. In addition, the Garda campaign against drink driving and speeding on the roads will be intensified in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year period.

At the national level, developments since the introduction of mandatory alcohol testing in July have been encouraging. The number of road deaths in August was 17 — the lowest number for any month since November 1999. This trend continued in September, when the number of deaths was 23, compared with 31 in the same month in 2005, and in October, when the number of deaths was 32, compared with 44 in the same month in 2005. Up to and including 17 November, there were 324 deaths in 2006, 21 less than for the same period last year.

The current strength of the Garda Traffic Corps stands at 745, with an additional 60 members to be allocated during the remainder of 2006. The Corps is well on target to achieve its planned strength of 805 members at the end of 2006. Further allocations to the Traffic Corps will continue until the planned strength of 1,200 is achieved.