The National Safety Council (NSC) has launched its pre-Christmas anti-drink driving campaign in advance of a Dail debate on the Road Traffic Bill 2001later this week.
The new bill extends the grounds on which a Garda may require a driver to provide a preliminary breath specimen to include situations where a driver is involved in a road accident, or where the Garda considers that a road traffic offence has been committed.
Currently, a Garda may ask a driver for a breath specimen if he believes the driver has consumed alcohol.
Speaking at the launch of the NSC campaign, Junior Minister for the Environment Mr Robert Molly said drink driving remained a key target for the Government's Road Safety Strategy.
"The Government has set a target to reduce by 25 per cent the number of fatal accidents occurring between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.," said Mr Molloy.
He said the number of drink driving detections has increased by 24 per cent in 2000 over 1998 despite the reduction in the number of accidents taking place during the hours commonly associated with drink driving.
Also speaking at the launch, Mr Pat Costello, Chief Executive of the National Safety Council said that this years campaign is focussing on the 18 - 24 year old age group.
"We all have the ability to make the wrong choice and the NSC is asking people to think before they attempt to drink and drive," said Mr Costello.
"The Gardai will have a major presence on the roads over Christmas but the main reduction in the number of drink driving casualties on our roads can only come from drivers by changing their behaviour and committing to never driving after consuming alcohol."
He said alcohol is estimated to be associated with at least 30 per cent of all Irish road crashes and 40 per cent of all fatal crashes.
"In December last year 32 people died in road crashes and many more suffered serious injuries," said Mr Costello. "It is time that we all played our part in addressing this problem which causes so much heartbreak."