Dangerous driving is a “problem behaviour” that could be addressed through mandated retraining courses.
That’s according to Minister of State in the Transport Department, James Lawless, who believes more steps are required to tackle repeat offenders on Irish roads.
There have been 109 deaths on roads so far this year, up 17 from the same period last year.
On The Hard Shoulder, Minister Lawless said a key issue in road safety is “problem drivers.”
“What I mean by that is drivers who are repeatedly speeding, distracted on phones, or engaging in other inherently dangerous behaviours,” he said.
“In addition to receiving penalty points, there should be a sanction requiring attendance at a three-day awareness course on what accidents actually entail.
“It could show the harm caused, the fatalities, the collisions, and all the different danger points surrounding the behaviour you have been indulging in.”
Other areas
The Fianna Fáil TD noted that such courses exist as penalties for other breaches of the law.
“If you go before the district court on a violence-related charge, it’s very common to be sent on an anger management course or some kind of awareness course,” he said.
“If you go before a court on an addiction-related charge, like drugs or alcohol-fuelled crime, it’s often part of the sanction to attend 12 sessions of addiction counselling, for example.”
“I see this as no different. It’s a problem behaviour. It’s habit-based.”
Gardai at a traffic checkpoint. Photograph: Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ieMinister Lawless thinks awareness campaigns targeted at offenders would benefit road safety.
“I think it might assist with their understanding,” he said.
“I also think it would act as a deterrent because people who are speeding recklessly probably wouldn’t want to spend three days attending an advanced driving school, being told how to slow down and why.”
Driving test
Minister Lawless noted that most drivers only learn about road safety in their youth.
“Most people do their test in their 20s, when they’re just getting on the road, and never sit another test until the day they stop driving, which could be 50 years later,” he said.
“Technology changes, the roads change, habits change, and people can develop bad habits.”
Minister Lawless added that it is a time of “change and flux” for road safety in Ireland and that the RSA is currently under review.
You can listen back here:
Main image: A car speeding on a motorway. Image: MOB IMAGES / Alamy Stock Photo
