One of the great freedoms given to Irish people is to be allowed to drive on public roads, to travel from point to point. The freedom is accompanied by a responsibility, however, which has been challenged on thousands of occasions. The Road Traffic Bill, 2001, attempts to manage traffic and uphold the rights of citizens to drive vehicles and travel throughout the country.
I have been involved in three car crashes, two of which were related to speed. The third accident occurred when I had to aim for a wall to avoid a child. Nobody other than myself was injured in these incidents. I have often reflected on the truly terrifying moment before my vehicle went through the stone wall. There was a great deal of noise and a terrible fear of impending serious injury and possible death. It was truly a frightening experience. A crash can be a salutary lesson for those unfortunate enough to be party to a serious accident, either on their own or involving others.
When driving between Mayo and Dublin each week in the course of my duties as a public representative, I observe the difference between fast driving, dangerous driving and reckless driving. I can understand why so many tragedies occur and why an increasing number of people die or are seriously injured each year. I welcome the introduction of this Bill as an attempt to educate drivers. I support the Minister's endeavours to help motorists understand that the Bill serves their interests. I have a number of thoughts that warrant further comment.
While this is a fine Bill, I must point out that the standard of road engineering in Ireland contributes to the number of serious accidents. There is a huge variety of roads in this country, including motorways, dual carriageways, wide two lane roads, narrow two lane roads and what one might call ordinary roads. There are many right hand turns on recently built two lane roads. It may be that an island has been placed on the road to guide drivers turning right or that white lines have been marked. I have often indicated that my car is about to turn right and waited in the centre of the road, but was unable to move because of oncoming traffic. I have experienced the sensation of cars passing on my left hand side at between 60 and 100 m.p.h. Inadequate engineering contributes to accidents that take place in such circumstances. Motorists in the line of traffic behind me are unable to see that my car is stopped in the middle of the road and is waiting to turn right. If a motorist attempts to pass out a car, a serious accident can result. I do not understand why the responsibility of the National Roads Authority in terms of engineering standards to be met when building roads is not clearly defined. Statistics show that many minor and more serious accidents occur because of the problem of right-hand turns from new roads. This is an engineering problem which this Bill cannot address.
A penalty points system should have been introduced long ago and I support the Bill's measures in this regard. The Bill includes a long list of offences for which one can accrue a penalty point. However, the use of mobile telephones while driving is not included as should be the case. This practice may be included under negligent driving or whatever, but tens of thousands of people break this legislation every hour. One sometimes sees a driver looking under the dashboard trying to dial a telephone number or to talk while driving. Such drivers are in a different world and this careless behaviour should be a stated offence for which one receives a penalty point. I have seen drivers of cars, lorries and buses speaking on telephones or dialling numbers while indicating to turn right or left or passing out other vehicles. A fatal accident occurred in England while a truck driver was sending a text message on a mobile telephone. This kind of behaviour is very common.
I support the provisions in the Bill regarding drink driving, the breathalysing of those involved in accidents and random breathalysing by the Garda. However, driving while under the influence of drugs should be an equally serious offence. There is an insidious network whereby drugs are freely available in every town, parish and village. Anyone looking for drugs does not have to travel too far. In some cases up to 90% of young people at parties may be using cannabis or whatever. I do not know much about the drugs business, but I am sure that if drug use is that prevalent, many people must be driving while under the influence of drugs. This should be regarded as being as serious an offence as drink driving.
The efforts made by the Garda and successive Governments are paying dividends in that it is becoming a social sin to sit behind the wheel of a vehicle while drunk. That is as it should be, and this campaign must not be lessened as new drivers are constantly coming on stream.
One of the nicest things about driving is that when one is stopped by a garda and one is fully compliant with all aspects of the law, this justifies all one has done in terms of insurance, tax, road worthiness of the vehicle and looking after one's physical and mental well-being while behind the wheel. However, I am sure it is a sobering thought, to use a pun, for those who are apprehended to find the long arm of the law taking them to task for being in breach of the legislation.
Statistics show that most serious accidents occur within the first six to eight weeks after a driver passes the driving test. This fact may be due to over-confidence on the part of the driver as a result of passing the test whereby he or she feels free to drive in whatever way he or she sees fit. There is a need for a continuing reminder that passing the driving test is only the start of a career in driving and that one should adhere to this principle for the duration of one's driving life.
I feel strongly that the driving test is not what it should be. I welcome the introduction of the theory test. However, the driving test which involves a 20 or 30 minute drive around the town and which the applicant will have gone over many times with his or her driving instructor does not provide any experience of driving. Poor driving conditions and the onset of dark evenings mean it is a very different experience to drive at 5 p.m. than at 10 a.m. This is particularly the case if weather conditions are bad.
An eye sight test should be a compulsory part of the driving test which should also include some night driving. Almost all those who sit the test will have to drive at night at some point. It is a different story once drivers gain experience, but in addition to the theory test and the other questions one is asked, an eye sight test and an element of night driving should form part of a comprehensive driving test.
The changes which have taken place in the past ten years pose significant difficulties for elderly people who have been driving for many years. The changes in roads structures, the introduction of roundabouts and the increased volume of traffic can make elderly people very nervous. While they may have been, and probably are, careful drivers, the traffic gives rise to pressure and concerns on their part.
The Minister, Deputy Molloy, will agree that if I left unlit concrete blocks on the road outside my house overnight, I could be convicted in a court as an accessory to manslaughter if someone died after crashing into them. The traffic calming measures introduced by the National Roads Authority are breath-taking. I will give the House an example. These measures are signalled by road signs outside towns and villages at the entrance to which traffic islands are installed. These islands usually consist of bricks surrounded by concrete barges which are supposed to include a lit arrow indicating that one should drive on the left. However, in many cases these islands are unlit and the grey concrete is impossible to see on a dark night. In every town and village these bollards have been demolished on more than one occasion by traffic crashing into them.
When I drive to Castlebar from Dublin the first of these traffic islands I come across is in Enfield where the bollard has been demolished on more than one occasion. The two bollards are gone in Ballinalack and the same is the case in Rathowen and Charlestown. The traffic island in Ballyvary outside Castlebar comprises 27 traffic cones and sandbags surrounded by unlit cones. This has been the case since last March. I wrote to the NRA three times about this situation, yet I did not even receive the courtesy of a reply.
This kind of engineering standard is lethal and contributes to serious accidents. I do not say this lightly as I wish to offer the Minister of State an alternative. The warning signs are fine but the traffic islands should be completely removed. This should be done on a pilot basis. There should be a warning that one is entering what might be called a red sector or a red speed zone whereby the first 100 metres of road leading into a town are sprayed red, such as in the case of pedestrian crossings. A red line should be put down the centre of the road until the exit point where there should again be 100 metres of red tar spray. Cameras could be erected and any driver who breaks the speed limit in the red sector should suffer a severe penalty, gaining four or five penalty points.
Concrete bollards in the centre of main roads when they are not lit and cannot be seen, even during the day, contribute to serious road accidents. I make this proposal as a serious alternative. These traffic islands are often found 500 or 600 yards outside towns or villages and drivers entering the town tend to speed up when they leave these chicanes and drive even faster than when they entered them.
Thousands of drivers do not adhere to speed limits on ring roads around towns. I have been guilty of breaking the speed limit and I have been fined for doing so. However, there is a difference between travelling at 70 miles per hour on a dual carriageway and doing so on a country road. Every tin box with four wheels is now capable of travelling at 100 miles per hour and in some social circles it is common to speak about cars which can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in five seconds or can travel at 130 miles per hour. This happens despite our many speed limits.
How many different speed limits does one encounter on the road from Dublin to Cork? The limits vary between 20, 30, 50, 60 and 70 miles per hour. Even experienced drivers often do not know the speed limit as they drive on a particular stretch of road because they are not certain whether they are driving on a wide two-lane road, a two-lane road, a dual carriageway, a motorway or a bypass. Speed limit signage is very unclear.
There should be a dedicated highway patrol, principally of gardaí on motorcycles. Invariably one finds a driver travelling in the middle of the road at 45 miles per hour and holding up 40 or 50 vehicles. In such a situation a driver may decide to take a chance, overtake the slow driver and be caught out. A highway patrol officer could instruct the slow driver that if he wants to drive slowly he is entitled to do so but that other road users should be enabled to travel a little faster, while remaining within the speed limit. Most truck drivers pull over to allow a faster vehicle to pass and the practice of flashing lights as a thank-you sign appears to have caught on.
The practice of leaving parking lights on while driving during daylight is a good one because it helps visibility. A dedicated highway or main road patrol to assist the freer movement of traffic and driver education is an idea worth considering. One often finds a Garda patrol car driving just under the speed limit with no driver prepared to overtake it. One might drive behind such a patrol car from Ballaghaderreen to Mullingar but no driver will overtake it for fear of being pulled in.
I welcome the transfer of responsibility for designated taxi ranks to local authorities. In my home town of Castlebar the urban district council approved a licence regime for taxis and the place is lit up every weekend by taxi signs. However, there are still no designated taxi parking areas and a great deal of tension exists between the gardaí and the taxi drivers because gardaí are obliged to move taxi drivers who park in places not designated for taxi purposes. This question has been on a merry-go-round between the urban district council, the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the offices of the Commissioner of the Garda and the Attorney General for the past 12 months. It is now in the commissioner's office on its way back to the Department of the Environment and Local Government and I would be grateful if the Minister of State would hurry this matter along. It would be a source of great consolation to everyone if Castlebar Urban District Council could resolve this matter for Christmas.