Minister of State Jack Chambers has acknowledged there has been an issue with enforcement in road policing.
Data published in The Irish Times on Monday highlighted this, he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.
“Enforcement levels across a number of areas are not what they were. I think The Irish Times data states that and that's clear for anybody to see. And we need to reverse that.
"For reform to work and for all the measures to work, which we're trying to progress in a road safety perspective, there has to be that perception of enforcement. It is clear there has to be a clear centrality when it comes to roads, from a road safety enforcement perspective.
“And I think there is that commitment from An Garda Siochana, from the commissioner and from everybody involved to strengthen that over the coming period of weeks.
"I welcome the progress that has been made, for example, on maximizing the use of the Gosafe contract, which will clearly improve the visibility and the detection of speeding, for example. But all the other offenses the enforcement levels need to improve as well.”
'Constructive discussions'
There had been very constructive discussions between him, the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner, on the need to strengthen enforcement.
“There's a commitment as recruitment is strengthened, that we will see an increased deployment in roads policing units.
“We're bringing it as an emergency piece of legislation that seeks to change the default speed limits which we've previously outlined and then the anomaly of penalty points.
"So if you've had multiple offences in the one act, you'll get the multiple points under this bill rather than having one set of the higher set of points, mandatory drug testing at the scene of a collision, and then empowering the minister to vary their penalty points in specific periods.”
A similar system in New South Wales in Australia was very effective when the number of road fatalities was reduced from 55 in 1997 to figures between 18 and 34, he said.
Mr Chambers said the plan is to introduce the legislation in the Dáil before Christmas and then commence with the measures early next year.
“It would be difficult to get that commenced before Christmas at that point.
"But my plan would be in 2024 to allow the bank holiday weekends to have this set out clearly and to enable this new system to work, which I think would have a positive effect on saving lives.”
By Vivienne Clarke
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