In deference to the note-taker perhaps the Chair would allow time for the Chamber to clear before I commence. Nor would I like it to be thought that I had driven everyone from the Chamber.
I welcome this Bill — for the benefit of the people in the gallery, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 1983 — which came before this House last week. From time to time there have been many references to the need for a speedier bringing to court of the perpetrators of road traffic offences. To that end I have suggested frequently that night courts be established to deal specifically with motor offences. I understand the average time it takes for a case to come before the courts is in the region of two years and sometimes it can be longer.
Perhaps the Government would give consideration to the inclusion of a provision in this Bill for the compulsory fixing of rear seat belts in cars, say, two or three years hence. There has been reference to this matter recently in the United Kingdom also when it was brought to people's attention that many people had been killed — this is an amusing but nevertheless true way — by "flying grannies," meaning that a grandmother in the back seat of a car hit from behind in a collision was flung over on top of front seat passengers, in turn killing them and/or herself. Perhaps the Minister of State present would give some consideration to this suggestion in the interests of the safety of not only elderly people but also of children who may travel in the back seats of cars who are not strapped in.
I welcome the increased fines for uninsured drivers. I know this provision has been widely welcomed by the general public in addition to the general motoring public, people who may find themselves some day hit by a vehicle whose owner is uninsured. I believe this will have quite an impact on people insuring themselves. I understand that at present the maximum fine for driving an uninsured vehicle is £100 which is now to be increased to £1,000, which is commendable. Also commendable are the many other changes in the levels of fines, particularly those relating to overloaded vehicles, heavy lorries carrying many tons in excess of the maximum amounts permissible in law. This is particularly laudable when one remembers the havoc many of these lorries wreak on our roads and the cost of repairs to our roads which must be borne by the taxpayer. I appreciate the fact that every person who owns a fleet of trucks is anxious to make as much money as possible on every load he delivers. However there is a price to be paid in respect of road repairs occasioned by such traffic and the taxpayer must take up the tab for the amount of damage done, particularly on small, narrow little roads throughout the country which were not constructed to withstand such heavy traffic.
I might refer also to parking fines. Different types of fines should be imposed for different types of parking offences, for example, to give just two instances, that of parking on a clearway and, on the other hand, parking on a single yellow line where one may not necessarily cause much obstruction. But where cars are parked within, say, 25 feet of traffic lights, reducing traffic lanes to a single row, fines should be heavier. Also I believe that anybody who has to have his vehicle towed away should be made to pay heavily for having parked his car in a way that caused considerable obstruction. Usually such cars are removed from the corners of little side roads, or where they have been double parked so as to reduce traffic flows to a single lane.
Another provision I should like to have seen included was one effecting some control over the noise of motor bicycles. I know there is at present a decibel limit but I am not aware that anybody has been charged in the last few years. Were I to put down a parliamentary question I should probably get confirmation of this. It should be an offence to drive a motor bicycle creating noise far in excess of the noise levels allowed by law. The Minister should consider this aspect because there is nothing more annoying, particularly late at night but also at other times during the day, than to hear these motor bicycles revving up making excessive noise. There should be some control over that.
Our gardaí are already overworked, which leads to the general feeling that traffic regulations are not enforced as vigorously as perhaps they should be. Heavier fines would help by reducing the number of breaches of the law. An increase in the number of prosecutions every so often would have beneficial results.
It is a good idea to have an insurance disc visible on cars. I am amazed at the number driving uninsured and untaxed cars. Many, but not all, itinerants drive unlicensed and untaxed cars and it is difficult for the Garda to prosecute successfully in these cases, because many are of no fixed abode. The powers of the Garda should be strengthened in dealing instantly with people who have no permanent address. Some thought should be given to that matter. There is a large enough number of people in this category committing such offences for it to be of grave concern.
I would welcome the imposition of larger fines against those who damage unoccupied parked cars and drive away. I am sure that there is not a Member of this House who has not found dents, and quite severe damage at times, done to his or her car in this manner. People who witness these occurrences should be encouraged to report the matter, as they are very prevalent. With the increase of fines and with good citizenship on the part of onlookers, the position would improve.
A much more heinous offence is that of the hit-and-run driver who injures or kills a pedestrian, cyclists or any other road user. It should be mandatory that such people lose their driving licences for the rest of their lives. This is one of the lowest forms of crime against another human being, particularly when the victim's life might well have been saved had an ambulance been called immediately — had the offender even had the decency to ring anonymously for medical help. These offenders are usually drunk at the time and, unfortunately, many lives are unnecessarily lost through their complete lack of consideration. This is a form of murder, as far as I am concerned. Not only should such an offender never be allowed to drive a car again, but the State should allow insurance companies to refuse to insure this class of person again.
Reference has been made to the variety of severity in the penalties laid down by courts. Deputy Ray Burke gave an example last week in this House of grave public disquiet with regard to sentencing. The son of a friend of mine was killed in a hit-and-run accident and the young men who had stolen the car which killed the boy were given 18 months' imprisonment. That sentence did not give the bereaved father a feeling that justice had been administered. Unless there is a deterrent by way of heavy sentencing, these crimes will continue to be committed.
I welcome the increased penalties for stealing cars. Up to now all that a person in this category could be charged with was stealing the actual petrol and driving an uninsured car, but this has changed, which is an improvement. The person who steals a car and damages it or sets it alight should be made to pay the full amount of damages. Insurance companies have to pay out of their pool for uninsured cars and the offenders should be made to pay not only the fine levied in court, but for the damage done. Deductions should be taken from their wages, salary or source of income at 10 per cent, but the word should go out that if a car, or motor bicycle — many of which are stolen and dumped in canals — is stolen and damaged, the full penalty will be exacted.
Eye tests for drivers should be introduced. It is very important that this form part of the Department of the Environment driving test. I do not know if this operates at present. Most traffic accidents happen through selfishness and a bullying attitude on the part of many motorists. 75 per cent of all accidents are absolutely unnecessary. The position would improve if there were more motorcycle gardaí monitoring the traffic and getting the rush hour traffic to form into two lanes where possible, when the rush of traffic is going only in one direction. This might help to speed up the flow of traffic.
Drivers of those cars which give out excessive diesel or petrol fumes should be dealt with severely. Nothing is more dangerous than a car trying to overtake another vehicle which is blowing out clouds of black smoke and reducing the visibility ahead. If the penalties imposed in the courts were sufficiently high to make the costs of repairing the fault in the car economical by comparison, a lot of this pollution would vanish. If people know that they will be fined from £50 to £200 for causing such pollution, they will have the faults in their cars seen to pretty quickly. As far as I am aware, we on this side of the House welcome this Bill. I certainly welcome all its provisions and hope that it will have a speedy passage through the House.