Zooming in on nation's speeders

PLANS to treble the number of speed cameras operating across the State by the end of the summer were announced yesterday by Transport Minister Seamus Brennan.

There are currently only three speed cameras in operation at any one time out of a total of 20 all of which are located in counties Dublin, Louth and Meath.

Mr Brennan, who was speaking at the launch of a new penalty points TV advertising campaign, also wants a private company to have the power to install and operate the camera system.

A number of companies, who will be paid a commission based on the number of detections made, have already expressed interest in taking on the task.

Almost 23,000 motorists have received penalty points for speeding offences since the new legislation was introduced last October.

Gardaí are now making around 15,000 speeding detections every month.

A new survey has found that almost half of drivers regularly break the speed limit in urban areas, while almost one in three regularly break the speed limit on national roads.

Both Mr Brennan and Justice Minister Michael McDowell have discussed the installation and running of the new speed camera network with Garda chiefs.

Mr Brennan said all 60 cameras would be operating at all times, strategically located along back roads where most of the speeding occurs.

The ministers are to meet next week in order to discuss the matter further and to make plans to present to the Government before the end of the month.

Each of the cameras will cost around €30,000, and the number to be installed nationwide will be assessed in conjunction with the National Roads Authority.

Mr Brennan said that he believed the scheme would cost around €1.8 million to install a small price to pay when compared to about €11m per kilometre of motorway.

Mr Brennan also announced that from next month, the penalty points system would apply to the non-wearing of seatbelts.

National Safety Council chairman Eddie Shaw said the change in driving behaviour since the introduction of penalty points had already saved the lives of around 70 road users, and avoided over 300 serious injuries.

From November 2001 to June 2002, 17 children aged 15 or younger were killed on our roads. The equivalent figure for the last seven months is just seven.

"These are not just numbers these are tragedies avoided," said Mr Shaw.

Irish Insurance Federation chief executive Mike Kemp warned that drivers' fear of incurring points and eventually losing their licences would wear off quickly if the system was not backed up by sustained, countrywide, high-intensity enforcement action.

Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne said however that the commercials, developed by the National Safety Council and supported by the Irish Insurance Federation, would be reinforced with visible Garda enforcement.

In addition to the "Penalty Points for Speeders" TV commercial, the National Road Safety Council is producing another commercial, which will focus on the threat of penalty points for the non-wearing of seatbelts and having no insurance.