This Government's record in relation to road safety enforcement has been abysmal. Evidence of neglect, delay and incompetence can be found in steadily worsening figures for general compliance with the traffic laws and, in recent months, through a sudden surge in road deaths. The Government started well in 1998 when the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, unveiled the first ever strategy for road safety in this State. The five-year strategy was to have included random drunk-driver testing, the imposition of penalty points for certain motoring offences, the widespread installation of speed cameras and on-the-spot fines for seat-belt infringements and other motoring offences. The strategy was commendable, but there have been dreadful gaps in its implementation.
Earlier this week, Fine Gael subjected the Coalition Government to a barrage of criticism in the Dail over its failure to cope with the worsening road safety situation. Ms Olivia Mitchell drew attention to the fact that, since the beginning of the year, a person had died on our roads every 19 hours, amounting to 55 deaths in a seven-week period.
The incidence of road deaths per head of population was double that in Britain, the Fine Gael spokeswoman said, and she complained of a failure to reduce the incidence of excessive speeding, drink-related accidents and seat-belt offences. She sought the establishment of a dedicated Garda traffic corps and the implementation of the Government's own road safety strategy.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, acknowledged that there had been a delay in introducing the penalty points system, under which a succession of minor motoring offences would lead to increases in insurance premiums and, eventually, loss of driving licences. But he said no one measure could deal with the level of fatalities. And he noted that more than 300,000 on-the-spot fines were issued last year by the Garda for speeding and seat-belt offences. As an excuse for a succession of failures to meet deadlines, it was inadequate. But the Minister should not bear sole responsibility for the current shambles. The Department of Justice has responsibility for legislation that would allow random drunk-driver testing. And the positioning and use of speed cameras, along with the computerisation of road traffic offences in relation to a penalty points system, are issues that cross boundaries between the Departments of the Environment and Justice and the Garda Siochana.
In spite of the number of on-the-spot fines being imposed, research by the National Road Safety Authority has reported consistent increases in the incidence of speeding and in the failure of motorists to wear seat belts.
We are more than halfway through the Government's five-year programme for road safety, but a huge amount of work remains to be done. Only four of the main roads leading out of Dublin have had speed cameras installed. Even in these cases, the computerised system that would make them an effective deterrent has not been commissioned. The traffic laws are not working. Part of the reason is the failure of successive governments to invest in a designated traffic police force. More resources are required by the Garda along with a greater urgency on the part of the Government in ensuring that traffic laws are obeyed.