Rural drivers warn against harsh overhaul

RURAL drivers and young motorists have warned against using harsh road safety proposals to overhaul the provisional driving system.

Recommendations this week for new regulations restricting L-plate and novice drivers have received mixed reaction.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) suggestions, targeted at curbing road deaths, will go through eight weeks of public consultation.

Following concerns raised by the Automobile Association (AA) and student representatives over some of the RSA proposals, rural representatives have warned against using excessively harsh measures to encourage safe driving among young motorists.

Macra na Feirme, which represents rural youth aged from 17 to 35, warned the use of a “stick” approach to improve road safety was doomed to fail.

“Macra believes that any policy or legislation that is imbalanced in favour of enforcement — ‘the stick approach’ — and does not sufficiently address incentivising and educating young drivers — ‘the carrot approach’ — will not be successful,” argued the group’s national president Catherine Buckley.

According to the organisation, any new measures need to be “rural-proofed” to ensure they are feasible for rural drivers.

Proposals put into the public domain this week for a graduated licensing system include a ban on learner drivers getting behind the wheel at night, as well as restrictions on the number and age of passengers they can carry.

Other suggestions the RSA want the public and interested groups to give their views on include a doubling of penalty points for learner driver errors, as well as compulsory driving lessons for L-plate motorists which would cost close to €1,000.

“Any measures by the RSA that will improve road safety for young drivers, such as the Graduated Driving Licensing, should be seriously looked at and debated to see if they are practical to implement and can improve road safety for all road users,” added Ms Buckley.

Meanwhile, following concerns raised by the AA that gardaí do not have the appropriate equipment to precisely screen for low levels of alcohol in drivers’ blood, members of the force say they will enforce all legislation passed.

“The Garda Síochána will enforce the legislation as provided by the Oireachtas,” said the garda press office in a statement.

Responsibility for equipment used for breath or blood tests also lay with the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, said gardaí.

The bureau’s director Prof Denis Cusack was unavailable for comment yesterday.