Minister urged to get tough on provisional licence drivers

MINISTER for Transport Seamus Brennan has been urged to introduce random breath tests, increase speed checks on minor roads and ensure that the country’s 325,000 provisional licensed drivers are made take the test before the summer of 2004.

The Institute of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) is lobbying the minister to take increased measures to cut down on the number of accidents on Irish roads which claim an average of 400 lives annually, lead to thousands of serious injuries and cost the economy an estimated 1bn.

“We believe there are three main areas where significant improvements can be made, namely improving driver behaviour and competence, improving the safety of vehicles and improving the safety of our roads,” an IEI director general Paddy Purcell said.

He said the measures could halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads in the next five years. The IEI wants the introduction of random breath tests and the garda Christmas drink-driving campaign extended to all weekends, the time the highest percentage of road deaths occur.

Garda research showed last year 93% of the 12,834 motorists arrested on suspicion of drink driving were over the limit and the majority of accidents occurred between 9pm to 3am The engineers’ organisation also wants those who have just passed their test restricted to certain speed limits until they have gained experience, similar to the R (restricted) scheme in the North “A scheme should also be agreed with the insurance industry where young learner drivers who undergo particularly intensive safe driving training would get a significant reduction in their premium,” Mr Purcell said.

The group also wants lower speed limits to be introduced on more minor roads and to follow the British lead by bringing in 20mph limits in some residential areas, a move which reduced pedestrian accidents by 61%.

Mr Purcell said all new cars sold in Ireland should have ABS and traction control. The IEI also wants more garda checks on heavy vehicles to ensure speed limiters are being used, a legal requirement which they claim is being “flagrantly ignored”.

His organisation is also calling for a ban on the use of bull bars on all vehicles and compulsory use of lights during daytime driving.

Mr Purcell pointed out between 1993 and 1998 the authorities in Queensland, Australia, carried out a similarly aggressive road safety strategy which cut road deaths by 42%.