This is a timely debate, because, unfortunately, fatalities on the roads are reaching unacceptable levels. Road safety should and must be the number one priority for everyone — young and old. The Alliance Party will support every effort to prevent road accidents. I support the motion and the amendment.

One life lost or one person injured on our roads is one too many. My heart and deepest sympathies go out to those people who have lost their lives, who have been left with terrible injuries as a result of a road traffic accident and who have been left behind to grieve the loss of a dear one. As public representatives, Members are all too aware of tragedies that have hit our constituencies, and of the untold misery and pain that comes with fatal accidents.

This Assembly should have the legislative power to introduce measures to combat the risks on our roads, and I say hurry on the day when we can help to prevent or at least reduce the senseless carnage on the roads.

I offer my sincere gratitude to the emergency services. They deserve the highest credit and thanks for their work. It is they who are first summoned when an accident takes place and who have to attend to the carnage. Regardless of training, one cannot be prepared for some of the horrific scenes that the emergency services face. Everyone has loved ones and family; it must be heartbreaking to have to go to a mangled vehicle and attend to the victims.

There is an ever-increasing volume of traffic on the roads; therefore road users who are in charge of what might be classed a lethal weapon must have their wits about them. There is no room for risk or distractions. The aim is to reach one’s destination safely and with respect for other road users, even if that means being slightly late for an appointment.

Many reasons have been given for the carnage on roads; we are told that the biggest culprit is alcohol. Once again, it seems that the UK legislation relating to this issue is 30 years out of date. The alcohol limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood — approximately double the limit in most other European countries. There is, therefore, much room for improvement.

Speeding, particularly by younger drivers, is also a major factor in road crashes. The Alliance Party welcomes the imminent introduction of the draft Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007, which will assist the Northern Ireland road safety strategy (NIRSS).

Last week, I met with representatives of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland (BMA (NI)). They are concerned about road traffic fatalities and are calling on Government to take steps to cut down the number of road accidents.

As Edwin Poots mentioned, the Committee for the Environment recommended some simple changes to ensure safety on our school buses. These included the provision of a seat belt for each pupil, the suggestion that only one pupil be allowed in each seat and a range of other safety measures. That report is probably gathering dust on a shelf somewhere, and yet the carnage goes on. Yesterday evening, I read about a fatal bus crash across the water. If its passengers had been wearing seat belts, those deaths and injuries could have been prevented. We must think about that issue.

During the last Assembly mandate, I requested funding to improve the surfaces of a couple of the major roads on the Ards Peninsula in my constituency: the A20 from Newtownards to Portaferry and the A2 coast road from Newtownards to Portavogie. I also requested funding for other roads on the peninsula. However, rather than increased funding, the overall roads maintenance budget was reduced.

I would like Peter Robinson to resume his post — or another Member to be nominated — as Minister for Regional Development to take charge of local roads as quickly as possible. At least Mr Robinson introduced the second phase of the Comber bypass, for which we had campaigned for 30 years. The sooner a local Minister is in place, the sooner all our roads will be improved.

I understand that the current Minister with responsibility for road safety has cut the funding that the Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland allocates to local government road safety committees. My colleague Naomi Long wrote to the Minister to ask him to meet with the Belfast area road safety committee. Unfortunately, he refused because his diary was full.

The road safety committees run on a very low budget. They address the education of young people and young drivers, and promote advanced driver training to increase awareness. However, they are struggling to fund such simple things as paper for their school poster competitions. That is shameful: the Minister should be ashamed of himself.

The Republic of Ireland is considering using our road safety committees as a model to address its situation. However, for the want of a few hundred pounds, we are jeopardising them in Northern Ireland. Again, the Minister responsible must assess that situation.

Road safety means that proper investment should go into all our roads, not just the motorways. The A20 and the A2 to Portaferry and Portavogie, to which I referred, have had their fair share of fatal accidents. The most recent involved a young Glastry College student who lost his life just before Christmas. Like so many others, these roads were designed for donkeys and carts some years ago. They are certainly not up to what is required of them now.

Life is precious. All road users are at risk. The next Assembly must take the lead in implementing measures to stop road carnage.