I thank the Chairman. On the enforcement side, targeted road safety enforcement operations are ongoing at national, regional, divisional and district level. The operations have been designed as part of an overall strategy to reduce the incidents of fatal and serious injury collisions through the generation of a greater compliance culture by all categories of road users. For the remainder of this current quarter a number of multi-agency checkpoints are planned across all Garda regions. In addition, a national heavy goods vehicle operation and a further national drink driving operation are planned.
A series of inter-regional traffic policing operations on national corridors are also being planned during the current quarter. One such operation will take place today and tomorrow. There is a particular emphasis on dangerous driving and seat belt wearing, as well as offences such as dangerous overtaking and crossing white lines, which now come within the penalty point system.
Specific enforcement locations are selected based on safety considerations, including personal safety, coupled with the local trends in fatal and serious injury collisions. Between 7.30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on each day of the national operation a minimum of one marked Garda vehicle is involved in traffic enforcement policing between points identified on national routes. Local district patrol cars will also be included to augment the number of traffic cars involved.
During the first quarter of this year 3,395 detected intoxicated driving and intoxicated in charge incidents were recorded. This is an increase of almost 18% on the same period in 2005 when 2,883 detected incidents were recorded. During the same period 4,593 preliminary breath tests and 2,969 evidential breath tests were conducted. From the extension of the fixed charge penalty point system on the 3 April 2006 up to Monday 8 May, 14,403 speeding offences were recorded on the Garda fixed charge processing system. In addition, 1,895 seat belt offences were recorded.
In March last 60 extra personnel were added to the traffic corps, 60 more will be added on 8 June next and 60 more will be added for each of the remaining two quarters. By the end of the year the number of personnel attached to the traffic corps will have increased to 805. In March an additional 28 vehicles were allocated to the traffic corps.
On 3 April the Garda fixed charge processing system was updated to cater for the additional fixed charge-penalty point offences. From 3 April to 8 May, 19,631 penalty point offences and 5,118 non-penalty point offences were recorded on the fixed charge penalty system, giving a total of 24,749. In conjunction with the updating of the fixed charge system the roll-out schedule in respect of the processing of fixed charge payments by An Post is ongoing. To date 437 post offices are taking payments for fixed penalty offences. In the near future it is hoped that 1,000 post offices will be able to take payment.
With the addition of the hand-held device and with payments being taken by the post offices, we have freed up significant Garda resources. When a motorist is stopped for a fixed penalty offence through the use of a hand-held device the garda punches in the name, address, offence, location and so on.
When the garda has finished his or her tour of duty, he or she returns to the station and docks the device into the system. The data are then transmitted by wire to a private company. From that point onwards, correspondence emanates from the private company, informing offending individuals that they were stopped on such and such a date, were in breach in respect of a particular offence and now have so many days in which to pay for the offence. One has 28 days in which to pay. If one does not so do, the payable fine increases, up to 56 days. This concludes my brief submission.