Many of Ireland's regulatory and infrastructural problems revolve around transport, not least ensuring that the huge increase in the number of cars on the roads is adequately policed. The previous Government decided four years ago to introduce a penalty-points system to tackle such offences as speeding, the non-use of seatbelts, unlicensed vehicles and dangerous parking.
The new Minister for Transport, Mr Dempsey, has now announced that it will be introduced on a phased basis this autumn, following an inexcusable delay in resolving inter-departmental arguments about funding. It will be accompanied by an equally necessary reform, the introduction of a dedicated Traffic Corps, by the end of the year.
With the news that another nine people lost their lives over the holiday weekend these changes must be welcomed, although the lack of political will which has so delayed their introduction is to be condemned. Lives would have been saved had these elements of the Road Safety Strategy been implemented sooner. Progress made with vehicle safety testing and driving tests show that necessary changes can be handled efficiently and make a real difference. A continuing row about funding means the points system must be introduced manually rather than computerised. Mr Brennan must ensure sectionalist arguments within the Garda Síochána about control of the traffic corps do not delay its introduction.
Ireland is only catching up with equivalent schemes elsewhere in the European Union. The failure to bring in the points system with the most up to date technology threatens to undermine the gradual impact the recent greatly increased number of prosecutions for speeding has had on fatality statistics. Mr Brennan has undertaken to examine afresh anomalies in the points system, such as the fact that dangerous parking carries a higher penalty than speeding. He could also look again at the case for making it more cumulative, so that persistent offenders are more heavily penalised. Evidence from elsewhere shows that once significant numbers of drivers are disqualified there is a compound deterrent effect securing better behaviour by drivers. Irish road users deserve the benefits of such a system as soon as possible.
Even if that was achieved there would remain a great deal to be done to bring the level of road accidents and fatalities down. The Government is committed to stringent new measures to tackle drink driving, but has no plans as yet to bring in the random breath testing for alcohol that is the most effective means to deal with it. Given the high proportion of those currently tested who are over the statutory limit, such a reform is urgently needed. The Government has also promised in its programme to deal with a series of problems about insurance, including driving without cover and fraudulent claims. Rather than getting bogged down in further bureaucratic and legal quibbling Mr Brennan should be willing to seek Government approval for a bold approach, which would undoubtedly gain public approval if it proves effective in saving lives and reducing injuries.