Penalty points deterring fewer

The tragic car crash in Sutton, north Dublin, yesterday morning has refocused attention on road safety and the penalty points system.

Fatal collision statistics for the year to date indicate the threat of penalty points on driver behaviour has waned considerably since points were introduced last November.

Last month 38 people were killed on Irish roads, up from 20 in May of 2002. While 33 lives were saved in the first two months of penalty points last year (compared to November and December 2001), just 16 fewer people were killed on the roads in the first five months of 2003 compared to the same period in 2002 .

Fine Gael's spokesman on transport, Mr Denis Naughten, said a dedicated traffic corps was the only way to make penalty points work.

"And we are told now the new computer system needed to process the points will not be ready for another 12 months. The fact gardaí need to use a paperwork system to process the points means they are spending so much time on that work that there are fewer of them on traffic duty than before penalty points".

While he is not opposed to the privatisation of the speed camera system, Mr Naughten said cameras should be used to deter people from speeding and not to raise revenue. Cameras were needed on roads where motorists were known to speed "and not hidden in some hedge, where cars travel fast, so lots of motorists will be fined".

Next week Fine Gael will launch a new programme on road safety aimed at young drivers. It will urge the Government to introduce testing for driving instructors and a syllabus-based driving test for young motorists. At present those who pass their tests are not better drivers than they were when they had provisional licences, Mr Naughten said.

According to the National Roads Authority, young drivers are much more likely to be involved in fatal collisions than any other category. Worryingly, most crashes in which they are involved happen in the early hours of weekend mornings, indicating young drivers are still driving when socialising.

In 2001, the last period for which full figures are available, 111 out of 411 people killed on Irish roads lost their lives between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Over one in four, 27 per cent, were aged between 18 and 24. In that age group, most fatal accidents occurred about 3 a.m. on Sundays.