New road safety legislation to ban drivers from using hand-held mobile phones and allowing for random breath-testing will be law before the Dáil summer recess, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has promised.
The Road Safety Bill, which will also provide for privately operated speed cameras and on-the-spot penalties for drunk drivers, was cleared by the Cabinet at its weekly meeting yesterday.
Mr Cullen said the legislation was a visible signal of the Government's commitment to cut road casualty figures.
The legislation will be published next week and should become law before the Oireachtas goes into summer recess in early July, particularly given the Opposition's previously expressed support for tougher measures.
Mr Cullen warned that next month's World Cup could create extra dangers on the roads. "This will bring a lot of people to pubs and clubs, and we want them to enjoy themselves and the World Cup. But we also want them to leave their cars at home," he said.
The Bill, once enacted, will mean that gardaí will no longer be obliged "to form the opinion that a driver is driving under the influence of drink" before asking them to take a breath test.
Drivers, however, who are found to be over the 80mg blood/alcohol limit, but below 100mg, will be able to opt within 28 days for an automatic six-month suspension and fine, rather than going before a court.
The legislation will also finally ban drivers from using hand-held mobile phones while driving, following a failed attempt five years ago. However, the use of hands-free models will be permitted.
Asked if he expected legal challenges to the proposed new law, the Minister said: "Every piece of legislation can be challenged. We live in a constitutional democracy."
The Government intends to clear the way for the use of 300 privately operated speed cameras as quickly as possible following the passage of the legislation.
The Bill will also ban provisional drivers from driving unaccompanied - though this power will only be brought into effect once driving test waiting lists have been brought under control, which could be some years away.
The Garda Síochána's summer road safety campaign, which takes place for a week next month, will be reinforced by 275 trainee gardaí from Templemore.
Drink-driving arrests have risen by 19 per cent since the beginning of the year, totalling more than 6,000, while the Garda Traffic Corps is be given further reinforcements later this year.