Gardaí back plans to cut road carnage
Senior gardaí backed Government plans today for a fully-resourced traffic corps to stop the carnage on the roads.
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan confirmed that under the upcoming Road Traffic Bill as many as 400 gardaí would be axed from fine collecting duties to join a new road safety unit.
Joe Dirwan, the president of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), said: “We look forward to a corps which is fully resourced in terms of personnel, computer back-up, vehicles, and any necessary technical equipment to enable them to carry out their duties efficiently and well.”
Mr Brennan had asked the Gardaí to examine the late night high road fatality rate on Friday and Saturday, which see a third of all road deaths.
He added: “So if we know the particular time slot that is happening, we know that these are happening largely on back roads. Then I am asking for the cooperation and support to try to focus on that problem.”
The AGSI admitted it was essential every possible measure be taken to stop the growing numbers killed on the roads, including deploying speed checks on minor roads.
“There is a need to identify high accident locations and monitor them constantly,” Mr Dirwan said.
The group called on the minister to introduce a graduated penalty points system under the new metric system.
This would ensure that those who drive at excessive speeds face harsher penalties than drivers caught a few miles over the limit.
Mr Dirwan said: “The minister should also introduce a power of arrest for those caught speeding, to reinforce how anti-social it is, and he should also provide equipment for roadside testing of drivers suspected of having taken drugs. This is a rapidly growing problem.”
The minister will raise the issue of the penalty points system and speed checks at a crisis meeting on road fatalities which will take place next week.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell, senior gardaí, representatives of the National Roads Authority and the National Safety Council will all attend the urgent discussions.
Mr Brennan said he had worked alongside Justice Minister Michael McDowell to free gardaí from administrative duties for the long-promised traffic corps.
The collection of fines, which involves several hundred gardai, will be outsourced to a private firm under the road traffic bill.
The minister also claimed the delay in implementing the Garda computer system designed to deal with penalty points was frustrating.
But the Labour Party’s transport spokeswoman, Roisin Shortall, said the minister needs to stop blaming gardaí for the lack of a computerised penalty points system and set up the electronic system as promised for the last two years.
The Gardaí called on the minister to ensure the computer system was fully financed so it could be implemented as soon as possible.
