A ban on the use of hand-held mobile telephones by drivers on the move will bring Irish traffic laws into line with some other European countries. For those motorists who obey the new law and park before using their mobiles, driving will become safer. But, given the extremely poor level of law enforcement on our roads, the likelihood is that the great majority of motorists will continue to use their phones in a potentially dangerous manner.
The suspicion therefore arises that this is a pre-election, political smoke-screen, designed to distract attention from the Government's failure to deliver a working, penalty- points system for motoring offences.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, first suggested a ban on using mobile telephones last August and invited a high-level group on road safety to advise on whether it should be made an offence. The initiative was surprising, given that the same body had advised against such legislation three years earlier. But, in light of research which suggested that drivers using mobile phones were six times more likely than others to make mistakes, the response of the safety group was a foregone conclusion. In announcing the change last Tuesday, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Molloy, said offenders would be prosecuted through the courts initially, and would eventually be subjected to on-the-spot fines under the Road Traffic Bill which is presently going through the Dáil.
There is no doubt the use of hand-held mobile phones by motorists while driving can pose a serious danger to themselves and to other road users. But speeding, drunk driving and a failure to wear seat belts represent even greater threats. Statistics have shown that the percentage of cars and commercial vehicles exceeding speed limits is now more than 50 per cent, while the same incidence of law-breaking applies to seat-belt wearing.
The harsh reality is that major elements of the Government's road-safety strategy, announced with great fanfare by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for the Environment more than three years ago, have not been implemented. The promised installation of large numbers of speed cameras has not occurred. The computer required to operate a penalty- points system has not been commissioned. And the enforcement of traffic laws by the Garda Síochána has been sporadic. Mr Dempsey went some way towards recognising this unsatisfactory position when he spoke recently of establishing a separate and dedicated National Traffic Corps, to ensure a high level of law enforcement, if returned to government. He also wished to reduce the blood-alcohol limit. These are, indeed, necessary developments. But why were they not included in the Road Traffic Bill ?