Dail Report: The level of deaths on Irish roads is a national emergency, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny told the Dáil as the number of fatalities this year rose to 51. He said that if these people had lost their lives in a terrorist attack the nation would be in mourning.
In the wake of a National Roads Authority report yesterday which showed an eight-fold increase in speeding in the past two years, Mr Kenny said Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should "for once, take charge of the half dozen ministries that have failed utterly to create an environment and atmosphere of respect for others and understanding of the law. In that sense, it is time for action, leadership and enforcement. Lives depend on it."
But Mr Ahern replied: "We are putting a large number of gardaí on the roads who will set up checkpoints. It will be very difficult for ordinary law-abiding people on the roads, who will see a far greater number of gardaí.
Unfortunately, if we have the number of road deaths that we do, we must impose this measure without fear or favour." He said the Government has told An Garda Síochána to "enforce in numbers and enforce the law" as part of the campaign to cut the number of road deaths.
"The only way we can respond is for gardaí to take measures that will inconvenience people," the Taoiseach said.
He said a new speed camera system must be designed to save lives not raise revenues. Cameras should be located at accident black spots and camera suppliers must be answerable to the Garda, he warned.
Mr Ahern also said legislation for speed cameras and random breath testing was an urgent priority and it was his intention that it would be before the Oireachtas during the present session.
Mr Kenny said the Taoiseach had not implemented what he talked about. He said the random breath testing issue was not resolved.
"There is no reform of driver education and no national programme for young drivers and non-nationals driving in this country, where they must drive on the left-hand side of the road rather than the right.
"Why have we got 425,000 people on provisional driving licences. Why is there a waiting list of over 53 weeks in many centres? Surely this is evidence of complete incompetence by whoever is in charge," Mr Kenny said. The level of road deaths was a national emergency, he added.
The Taoiseach said he took no satisfaction from the fact that 30 years ago there were 600 deaths a year, when there were half the number of cars there are now.
But he added that "speeding is the main killer. People must share responsibility and slow down. They must stop drinking and driving.
In order to reinforce that message and force a dramatic improvement in driver behaviour we are currently introducing a co-ordinated series of measures in addition to those we have already introduced."
Mr Ahern said more penalty point offences were being rolled out, the number of gardaí in the traffic corps reached 570 last year, would increase to 905 this year and would reach 1,200 by 2008.
The Government had invested in new, improved roads and the random breath testing legislation would be introduced, he added.
