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[Article] FG plan attack on 'breakdown' of penalty points

  • 05-04-2004 9:53am
    #1
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,474 ✭✭✭✭


    http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2957345?view=Eircomnet
    FG plan attack on 'breakdown' of penalty points
    From:The Irish Independent
    Monday, 5th April, 2004

    FINE Gael is proposing a dedicated Garda Traffic Corps and a Road Accident Investigation Unit to tackle "the breakdown of the penalty points system".

    The party's transport spokesman, Denis Naughten yesterday published details of a Private Members' Motion on road safety, to be Tabled in the Dail after the Easter break.

    "More people were killed on the roads in the first three months of this year than the same period in 2003, proof that the penalty points system is breaking down," he said yesterday.

    Last weekend was the worst for road deaths this year, with seven young men killed."

    National Safety Council Director Eddie Shaw has accused the Government of under-funding the Road Safety Strategy.

    He said the Fine Gael plan sets out a series of steps to tackle the growing crisis on the roads and ensure a culture of road safety is developed including the establishment of a dedicated Traffic Corps to improve Garda visibility on the roads and increase enforcement; the establishment of a Road Accident Investigation Unit which would issue recommendations to prevent recurrences, especially near black spots;improve driving standards by reforming the driving test and introducing a structured training programme for motorists and motorcyclists; Immediately increase the number of testers and re-introduce a bonus scheme; implement a comprehensive training programme for driving testers with ongoing evaluation to tackle high test failure rates and nationwide variations and introduce mandatory training courses for all driving instructors and a statutory register.

    Meanwhile, the National Car Test is to get an overhaul with the introduction of an independent appeals body by next year.

    The plan would help address some of the complaints and criticism levelled at the NCT by the public.

    Since 2000 when the NCT was introduced, a total of 1.8m cars have been put through their paces with some 800,000 vehicles tested last year alone.

    However last year 4,500 complaints were logged with around half of these - some 2,200 members of the public - demanding an appeal.

    Brian Dowling and Kathy Donaghy


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