The Minister of State for the Environment has reacted strongly to criticism of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 1998 to 2002 by citing a reduction in road deaths.
"While much remains to be done in relation to this country's road safety record, some commentators would have you believe that road deaths are on the increase and that this Government has been inactive in the area of road safety," said Mr Bobby Molloy yesterday.
Both of these claims were wrong, he said. Clear targets had been identified in the Government strategy and real progress had been made in achieving its goals. Road fatalities had declined by 12.5 per cent, from 472 in 1997 to 413 in 1999. Serious injuries had declined by over 15 per cent relative to 1997.
The incidence of fatalities to date this year was marginally lower than in 1999, he added. A comprehensive series of measures was identified in the strategy and was being implemented.
Mr Molloy said enforcement of road-traffic law had been steadily increasing throughout the strategy, with around 180,000 on-the-spot fines for speeding issued by the Garda in 1999 and 100,000 for the first five months of this year.
In addition, over 44,000 on-the-spot fines were issued for not wearing seatbelts in the period from July 1999 to the end of April.
The detection of speeding was being improved through the deployment of fixed speed cameras and through a "big increase" in the number of mobile detection equipment in operation.
"The NRA and the Garda Siochana will jointly monitor the operation of the new system and in the light of experience will extend fixed speed cameras to other parts of the national network."
The Minister said a penalty-points system for drivers who breach road traffic law would be implemented by the end of next year.
The development of a computer-based national driving-licence file was a prerequisite in this regard: "Penalty-point legislation cannot be brought in until the national driving licence file system is in place."
He said one of the "most pressing items" was the need for learner drivers to undertake their tests "in a reasonable time-span".
The average waiting time for a test had been reduced from 34 weeks in early 1999 to about 21 weeks.