Call for new 80km/hspeed limit on L-drivers

Provisional licence holders should be subjected to a speed limit of 80km/h (50mph), according to an Oireachtas report to be published…

Provisional licence holders should be subjected to a speed limit of 80km/h (50mph), according to an Oireachtas report to be published today.

The Interim Report on Reforms to the Irish Insurance Industry - Road Safety is also expected to recommend the controversial introduction of "black boxes" in vehicles such as school buses, to monitor traffic patterns and provide vital data about the causes of road accidents.

The 30 recommendations also include the use of simulators as driving practice for learners.

"If these recommendations are implemented now, 50 deaths could be prevented in the next six months," said Donie Cassidy TD, chairman of the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, which compiled the report.

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It is hoped the report and its recommendations will go before the last Cabinet meeting before it breaks for summer holidays, and Mr Cassidy said the effects of the recommendations could be felt "within weeks". It would "bring back a fear of the law" that occurred when penalty points were first introduced and road fatalities dropped dramatically for a seven-month period, he said.

Mr Cassidy said the committee did not wish to penalise learner drivers but with 400,000 on the road, it would be an incentive for them to do their tests, reduce their insurance premiums and reduce the number of test cancellations.

Some 23,000 learner drivers cancelled tests last year too late for them to be given to another learner driver and this meant they were avoiding the test.

The recommendations involved education, training, licensing, vehicles, road engineering, insurance companies, enforcement and the need for contributions from the motor industry.

"We see these recommendations complementing the recent initiatives introduced by the Minister for Transport," said Mr Cassidy. "The report focuses on practical ways to bring together all sections of the community to put safety first on the agenda for roadmakers and users."

Due to the increasing number of fatalities since the beginning of the year, the committee decided to publish this particular report now rather than September when it publishes its final report on reforms to the Irish insurance market.

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran is Parliamentary Correspondent of The Irish Times