JAMES DOORLEY,
Madam, - According to the Government report "The Road to Safety 1998-2002", speeding and drink-driving are the most common contributory factors to road accidents in Ireland. Indeed this report stated that drink-driving was the primary cause of a third of all fatal road accidents. In other words, drivers under the influence of alcohol contributed to 127 deaths on Irish roads in 2002, and that is probably a conservative estimate.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, deserves credit for ensuring that the long-promised penalty points system is being introduced. It has undoubtedly changed driver behaviour and helped to reduce the level and extent of speeding and in turn the number of road accidents and deaths. However he must also address the issue of drink-driving if he is really serious about road safety.
Ireland is among three EU countries which have a high legal drink driving limit of 80 mg; the majority have a limit of 50 mg. Some countries, such as Sweden and Portugal have, reduced their limits to 20mg and for good reason too.
While it is welcome that so many drivers over the legal alcohol limit are detected and prosecuted, many drivers under the legal limit are still a serious danger on our roads. The National Safety Council reports that drivers are twice as likely to have an accident at half the legal limit of 40 mg and six times as likely to have an accident just under the limit of 80 mg.
Despite these damning statistics the Irish Government has frustrated attempts by the EU Commission to harmonise and lower drink-driving limits in the EU to a maximum of 50 mg. When the EU Commission last sought to reduce the drink-driving limits in April 2001, the European Transport Safety Council reported that this measure was opposed by the Irish and British governments, with the active support of the drink industry in both countries.
However, I am now hopeful Mr Brennan, following his success with the penalty points scheme, will reverse the previous policy and reduce the legal drink driving limit in Ireland to 50 mg at most. This would save many lives and mark Mr Brennan out as the politician who finally tackled the carnage on our roads - Yours, etc.,
JAMES DOORLEY,
Uskane,
Borrisokane,
Co Tipperary.