Sinn Féin has launched an all-Ireland road safety policy with the party's newly-elected Senator Pearse Doherty and MLA Cathal Boylan calling for greater co-operation between the authorities on both sides of the Border to develop a common approach, including a zero alcohol limit for drivers.
"There can be no doubt also that the current existence of two separate and incompatible road safety systems on the island is creating dangerous and hazardous conditions in the Border areas. The harmonisation of speed limits, road signs and other safety measures is not only essential but simple common sense," Mr Doherty told a press conference in Dublin.
Mr Boylan said Sinn Féin was urging government agencies on both sides of the Border to adopt a zero alcohol and drug limit throughout the island to eliminate both the risk and the public confusion caused by the current incompatible systems.
Mr Doherty said that every year hundreds of people were killed on Irish roads but many of these deaths could be prevented if issues such as inadequate roads, driver education and the provisional licence system were addressed.
Urging all motorists to drive carefully over the bank holiday weekend, he pointed out that so far this year 264 people had been killed on Irish roads. Last Sunday seven lives were lost.
"Tragically these road deaths were not inevitable as most road accidents are preventable. Ireland's roads are amongst some of the most unsafe roads in Europe. This is down to a number of factors including our outdated road network which has to cope with levels of traffic that were never envisaged when it was built, and insufficient public transport, particularly in rural areas.
"A culture of joyriding or death driving among young people is also contributing to the excessive death rates on our roads, as is the culture of speeding and the lack of an updated driver education, testing and licensing system," said Mr Doherty.
Among the party's key proposals are:
An all-Ireland approach to road safety including increased ministerial and departmental co-operation;
Investment in public transport systems including more night-time public transport options, especially in rural areas;
Upgrading of all roads to minimum national standards to be set by a single Road Safety Authority;
An all-Ireland road safety strategy to harmonise speed limits, road signs, penalty points system and other road safety measures;
A revamping of the provisional licence system in the Republic;
A zero alcohol and drug limit.
