YFG's Better Deal for Young Drivers: Public Meeting in Dublin City

Saturday September 27, 2003 15:25

by Campaigns Director - YFG

Young Fine Gael are launching a national campaign to promote their new policy proposals entitled 'A Better Deal for Young Drivers'. The campaign will include public meetings in 16 towns and cities around the country.

The campaign's public meeting in Dublin city will take place on Wednesday 1st October at 8:00pm in the Ussher Theatre, Trinity College. Speakers include, FG insurance spokesperson Phil Hogan TD, YFG Senator John-Paul Phelan and Niall Doyle representing the Irish Insurance Industry. The meeting is open to everybody and young people are of course especially welcome.

The main aim of the proposals put forward in Young Fine Gael's Better Deal is to seek a reduction in the number of people being killed and injured on out roads and also to seek significant reductions in the cost of motor insurance for young drivers.

Not only will safer roads lead to more lives been saved; but safer roads will lead to significant reductions in cost of insurance for young drivers.

On road safety, YFG have pointed out that over 2300 people have been killed on our roads since the government's road safety strategy commenced. Our road fatality rate is still twice that of the UK and Sweden. Too many people are dying on our roads. To make our roads safer, Young Fine Gael is calling on the government to improve driver education & to implement stronger enforcement of our traffic laws.

Young Fine Gael welcomes the initial success of the penalty points system in reducing road fatalities, but when the hype over penalty-points wears-off, the death rate is likely to rise. This phenomenon has also been seen in other EU countries that introduced penalty points for driving offences. It will happen it Ireland because this government has not invested in the resources necessary to enable the Gardaí to enforce our road traffic laws and implement the penalty points system in the long term once the 'hype' has died down.

On insurance reform, It is 18 months since the government published the report of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board (MIAB). But so far the government have only implemented 9 of the 53
recommendations made by the MIAB. The progress made by the government is too slow. The longer they delay in driving through the necessary reforms, the longer young drivers will be forced to pay extortionate prices for insurance cover.

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