I move amendment No. 1:
In page 44, between lines 12 and 13, but in Part V, to insert the following new section:—
"( ) A person who sounds a horn on a motor vehicle between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. in built up areas, save in cases of grave necessity, shall be guilty of an offence."
This amendment was put down for Committee Stage and discussed on Committee Stage and the Minister then said he would take another look at it, but apparently he has decided that he is not able to do anything about it himself. I do not want to go over the ground covered on Committee Stage, except to say that the Bill is framed on the basis that it states certain general principles, gives power to the Minister in Section 11 to make regulations— very wide and very varied powers—and goes on to prescribe certain matters as offences and to prescribe penalties.
For example, Part IV is concerned with a speed limit and as well as prescribing a speed limit, the section gives power to the Minister, after experience, to vary the speed limit with regard to the number of miles per hour as well as to times and places where the speed limit will apply, that is to say, certain matters, such as the speed limit, have been considered of sufficient importance to be put into the Bill and I consider this question of blowing motor horns at night in built up areas, and indeed anywhere, of such importance that it would be better to have it in the Bill. I would suggest, as I suggested before, that it would be possible to frame a section prescribing that the sounding of motor horns should be illegal during certain hours and at the same time, leave the Minister the same power as he has regarding the speed limit to vary matters if, on experience, it should seem right that a variation should be made.
Everybody is concerned about these matters and I have been very interested to find letters coming from many places, not only from Dublin but from the country, adverting to this amendment about blowing motor horns and also to other noises made by motor cars at night which are considered unnecessary and which apparently are regarded by many people as a nuisance. A great deal of this noise is quite avoidable. The use of the horn is in the very great majority of cases quite avoidable and it seems to me therefore that this provision should be put into the Bill. It in no way takes from the Minister's power and it would help to bring to the public notice that this House, the Minister and the Oireachtas generally are alive to the gravity and the urgency of this problem. If you were to put this provision in the Bill, I think it would naturally lead to the making of regulations for the abatement of noises such as the noise of motor cycles without silencers which is quite common in my area—many people, I think, at night take off the silencers probably in order to do certain speeds—and unnecessary noises generally.
If the provision I asked for were put into the Bill, it would make for a great deal of comfort for a great many people, not only the invalid, the old and the very young, but for everybody, because quite a number of people on the main roads of the city, the suburbs and the country towns at night blow motor horns quite unnecessarily, when, as we all know as motorists, the use of lights would be quite adequate. It would mean more comfort for city dwellers and a great many rural dwellers, better driving and fewer casualties. It would be easier to enforce it if it were in general terms such as I have given.
As has been stated by the Minister and agreed by most Senators, what we require are police patrols, not so much to enforce the law but to indicate to people how they are breaking it and what the courteous procedure is. I realise that would be a very desirable thing, but I am afraid we will have to begin with police whose main duty is to tell people what is right but after a short period we will arrive at the situation when the police will be enforcing the law and bringing about the imposition of penalties.
I regret very much that the Minister is not doing anything about this as it is a matter of such importance that it could very well be put in the Bill. There is nothing in the way the Bill was originally framed to make this kind of note discordant. It could be put into the Bill quite easily with the resources open to the Minister and I regret very much that he did not see his way to do so.