'No car should be able to go over 100km/h', says Fine Gael TD
About The Can Really Reach Serious The Picture: Road The Was Istock Safety, To Have Mr Ability If Government Ring Speed Set Limit That Cars Said They
All cars being brought into Ireland should be fitted with technology to prevent them from reaching speeds above 100km/h, a Mayo TD has said.
Michael Ring said the Government is taking the wrong approach when it comes to addressing the serious issue of road fatalities.
Parking speed vans outside schools and churches in isolated rural areas is not the way to tackle speeding and careless driving, he said.
Placing the vans in these areas is "about revenue", Mr Ring said, adding that it does not do anything to stop tragic accidents — which, he said, happen mostly at night.
Mayo has among the highest number of road fatalities in the country so far this year and each one is tragic and devastating to families, Mr Ring said, reiterating the need for urgent action to be taken.
To date, 147 lives have been lost on Irish roads this year.
"If they really want to control speed in this country, it is a very simple thing they can do: They can control cars," the Fine Gael TD said.
"If the cars come into this country, no car should be able to go over 100km/h."
Mr Ring said if the Government was really serious about road safety, they have the ability to set the speed limit that cars can reach "and they could do that overnight".
Responding to the suggestion, a spokesperson from the Department of Transport said: "It is unfortunately not possible to retrofit all cars with such devices, depending on the design of the vehicle and the technology, and so it cannot be mandated."
However, the department noted that, as of July 7 this year, EU law states that all car manufacturers are legally required to ensure any cars in their showrooms must have an Intelligent Speed Assistance device fitted.
This device is designed to provide feedback in the form of warning noises and vibrations from the steering column or accelerator to alert drivers if they are exceeding the speed limit.
The implementation of safer default speed limits is also well underway, the spokesperson said.
"The new default of 60km/h on rural, local roads will be implemented first, with new limits on urban and national secondary roads to follow in subsequent phases."