There will 31 new offences liable to punishment by penalty points by this April, the Minster for Transport said today at the announcement of the first phase of his Transport 21 initiative.
The new offences will be announced later this week, adding to the four existing offecnes of speeding, careless driving, driving without insurance and driving without a seatbelt.
The minister said he had held meetings on the complex issue of random breath testing and wanted to see a system where judges only dealt with whether a person had been drink driving and not procedural issues.
He suggested drink driving cases which failed should be sent directly to the Supreme Court so different judges were not interpreting the law in different ways.
He also said he had legislation for a privately operated speed camera network ready to go before the Dail in the current session and was waiting on contracts tendered to the Gardaí.
Asked what he thought was needed to tackle the safety crisis on Ireland's roads, Mr Cullen said: "It's a combination of strong law and a combination of enforcement and the third element is the cultural mindset in Ireland which simply has to change."
He said 86 per cent of all accidents, deaths and injuries on the roads were caused by driver behaviour. "Tolerance of this behaviour on the roads is unacceptable," he said.
Today's press conference was called to announce the details of the first phase of Transport 21 which will start this year with a €1.5 billion investment in national roads.
Work will start on 15 new projects this year, and 13 other key projects will be completed. A further 11 projects already under way will continue construction during 2006.
Funding has also been allocated to local authorities for improvements on national roads in every county, meaning over 400 kilometres of road will be started or completed in 2006, he said.
Minister Cullen also outlined a four-year €60 million Lines and Signs programme to upgrade road signage and clarify road markings on the country's national road network. He described the initiative as "a concerted attempt to deliver user friendly road signage".
Other aspects of the plan include an allocation of more than €60 million for a pavement-restoration programme and €20 million for important road safety measures.
These include the fitting of safety barriers on all motorways and dual carriageways, improved road layout and road markings, junction control and signage.
Key aspects of the 2006 programme include:
- Completion of 13 projects with a combined length of over 82 kilometres
- Commencement of work on 15 new projects with a combined length of 336 kilometres
- €20 million for important road safety measures, including the fitting of safety barriers on all motorways and dual carriageways, improved road layout and road markings works, junction control and signage.
NRA chairman Peter Malone warned that works may lead to some disruption: "I would ask all the residents of Ireland and visitors alike to keep in mind; we are undergoing the largest infrastructure investment in our nation's history.
"At times it will not be easy, but we are investing in our future without trampling on our past and that takes significant investment and patience."
Additional reporting PA