On-the-spot fines to be extended to cover bald tyres and defective lights

On-the-spot fines for motorists, in use as speeding penalties for more than a year, are to be extended to cover fines for bald tyres and defective lights, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Local Government has been told.

Replying to questions from TDs and senators yesterday, the Assistant Garda Commissioner, Mr Joe Long, said alcohol, speed and not wearing seat belts were still the most significant factors in road fatalities, and a number of measures were to be introduced over the coming five years.

Contained in the Government's Strategy for Road Safety 19982002, they are aimed at reducing fatalities by a minimum of 20 per cent by 2002, relative to 1997.

In mechanical terms, Mr Long said, lighting and tyres were the most significant factors after brakes. While on-the-spot fines for defective tyres were due to come in next year, he could not put a specific time-scale on the introduction of fines for defective lights, but he said the introduction of vehicle-testing would help in this regard.

He said on-the-spot fines had been successfully enforced, with more than 85 per cent being paid before proceedings were issued.

Chief Supt John O'Brien of the National Traffic Policy Bureau said 394 people were killed on the roads in 1998, up to last Tuesday, 16 fewer than in the previous year.

A recent survey had shown that in 66 per cent of accidents, alcohol had been a factor, if not a primary factor, said Chief Supt O'Brien. Alcohol was not confined to drivers, however; of 25 pedestrians killed last year, about half had been either intoxicated or careless. The experience of best-performing countries was that random breath-testing was the key point in reducing alcohol-related accidents, he said.

In relation to speed, hidden cameras in unmarked vans were to be extended to three key routes in the near future, while the information technology to allow gardai to process fines and introduce a "demerits" scheme for offenders was promised by Government.

The figures were supported by Mr Finbar Crowley of the National Roads Authority who said 60 per cent of pedestrians killed at night had high levels of alcohol, while 50 per cent of drivers killed during the same hours also had high levels.

"The key word is `process'. We need significant information technology to process the volumes of on-the-spot fines as well as introducing the demerits system. It won't be possible without an information technology system," he warned.