Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has told the Dáil he will never take responsibility for road accidents that occur because motorists do not obey traffic laws.
Labour transport spokesman Tommy Broughan said the Minister "should take responsibility and should stop referring to drink driving limits, road traffic offences and cameras", because the past decade's carnage was unacceptable.
Mr Dempsey, however, insisted that "I will not take responsibility for accidents that occur because people do not obey the laws relating to speeding or alcohol, because they overtake in places where they should not do so or whatever. I never will take responsibility for such matters."
Instead, he would "take responsibility for putting in place the [ road safety] strategy and then, in so far as is possible, trying to ensure that it is implemented in respect of the areas for which I and my Government colleagues have responsibility".
The exchange arose during transport questions as Mr Broughan questioned the Minister about when a reduced blood alcohol level for drivers would be introduced. Mr Broughan claimed the Minister had vetoed the proposal to reduce the level from 0.08 per cent to 0.05 per cent, an allegation Mr Dempsey rejected out of hand.
The Minister reiterated: "I take road safety more seriously than any of my predecessors", and said he had requested that "when I arrive at my office each morning, the first thing with which I am presented is a sheet listing the latest position in respect of road deaths and injuries".
He said he would decide the reduced blood alcohol level based on advice from the Road Safety Authority, which he expected to receive by the end of next month. He accepted that "the UK and Ireland are alone in respect of the 0.08 per cent limit, but the UK has some of the best road safety statistics of any country in Europe". He had investigated statistics throughout Europe and "found that some countries with limits as low as 0.02 per cent have the highest rates of road deaths".
The Minister agreed that alcohol "is a factor in approximately 37 per cent of accidents. There is an argument for reducing the limit to 0.2, or 20 milligrams, for younger drivers on the basis that they have less experience and may not be able to cope with the effects of alcohol as well as others."
