Garda chief approves of planned speed laws saying 'penalty should reflect the risk'

Garda chief Drew Harris said Government plans for graduated penalties for speeding were “appropriate and entirely logical”.

Amid predictions that opposition in the Dáil may prevent the proposals coming into law before the next general election, he said: “I hear a lot of commentary around it and there is a simple solution – don't speed.”

The commissioner was speaking at the launch of the Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign which is focusing on serious traffic collision injuries.

Figures show while road fatalities have dropped by 19% between 2014 and 2017 that serious injuries have jumped by 30%.

Those road users experiencing the biggest rises are cyclists (up 60%), followed by pedestrians (up 39%) and motorcyclists (up 36%).

The launch was held at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin, where some 70 people with severe road injuries, including spinal injuries and brain injuries, are treated per year.

Professor Mark Delargy said many people have to wait to get into the hospital but welcomed the new “state of the art” hospital, located next door to the current one.

He said the new hospital will only have 120 beds, even though they had estimated 15 years ago that 260 beds were required.

Commissioner Harris said speed limits were “mandatory, not advisory”.

He said: “If you are breaching them you are increasing risk to you and other road users. The more you speed the more the risk increases.

It seems entirely logical that the penalty then should reflect the risk.

He said some drivers were breaching the speed limit “to an excessive extent”.

The commissioner said garda detections for speeding and other motoring offences, including drink driving, were “climbing”.

He said he was committed to increase numbers in the Roads Policing Unit, from 650 currently to around 840 by the end of the year, with a target of 1,000.

He said the roll-out of mobility devices – roadside smartphones – would start in December and “continue for 13 months”. By the end of December 2020, 10,000 members should have them, he said.

He said a tour of the wards of the NRH provided a “very salutary” reminder of the impact of serious collisions.

Figures provided by the Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority show that 3,518 people suffered serious injuries as a result of traffic collisions between 2014 and 2017 - some 36% of them were aged 18 to 34.

The number rose steadily over the four years, from 755 in 2014 to 981 in 2017. The greatest increase was among cyclists (105 to 170), followed by pedestrians (180 to 250) and motorcyclists (85 to 116).

Welcoming the new 120-bed rehabilitation facility, Professor Delargy called on the “decision makers” to provide the additional 140 rehabiliation beds needed.

Transport Minister Shane Ross said he was one of those decision makers and would “bear in mind” his appeal.

He called on those who blocked and delayed previous drink-driving legislation not to “filibuster” his new speeding proposals.