The enhanced road safety campaign by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Gardai over the October Bank Holiday weekend is to be greatly welcomed.

Unfortunately, bank holidays have often been marred by a high level of road collisions and deaths. During the past nine years 43 people have tragically died on our roads over the October bank holiday weekend including three road deaths during last year’s bank holiday weekend.

The RSA and Gardai rightly want to ensure that there is no complacency during the upcoming vulnerable bank holiday period given their great achievement in reducing road deaths this year. The enforcement of road safety measures clearly plays the most critical role in reducing and maintaining a low level of road fatalities and serious injuries.

For this reason I have asked Ministers Dempsey and Ahern on numerous occasions to consider maintaining the enhanced bank holiday enforcement levels on a more regular year round basis.

Given the controversy this week over Minister Dempsey’s reported plans to reduce the drink driving limit, the Minister should now publish the road traffic legislation so that a fully informed debate on this issue can take place. The RSA has made a very strong case for this new series of legislative road safety measures including the 50mg blood alcohol limit. Yet, it is incredible that some Fianna Fail T.D.’s who are concerned for rural communities are standing by a government that is already overseeing a savage programme of cutbacks to Bus Eireann services as well as considering proposals to completely abolish rural transport services across the country.