The suggestion from the Commissioner of the Garda, Mr Pat Byrne, that motor drivers should be guilty of an offence by having anything other than a zero level of alcohol in the bloodstream, would be certain to draw fire from some quarters if it were to translate into a legislative proposal. It is not certain Mr Byrne has any intention of seeking government support for the idea or whether he is, in effect, flying a kite. It is up to the politicians to make hard decisions, he says.
In itself, the concept is wholly commendable. When Ireland's first breathalyser laws were introduced almost 30 years ago, the permitted levels of alcohol in the bloodstream were ludicrously out of line with those elsewhere. Over the years that gap has closed although we still permit higher levels than in many jurisdictions. The zero alcohol rule is rare today but does operate in some States. Ireland would be unusual but not unique if it were to move to the position indicated by the Commissioner.
Any consumption of alcohol distorts the individual's judgment. One does not have to be at or above the legally permitted limit to suffer some loss of co-ordination or perspective. Levels of alertness will drop and responses will be affected even with one drink. Many drivers, younger ones in particular, recognise these facts and often prefer to have no drink at all rather than attempt to gauge their own limits and capacities.
When proposals were first advanced five years ago to bring drivers' permitted alcohol levels to their present tolerance, publicans and other interest groups reacted vigorously, predicting the destruction of their business and the disintegration of familiar and valuable social patterns. The reality has been otherwise. The licensed trade is booming. Drinkers have happily adapted to the new regime. And many additional jobs have been created in the taxi and mini-cab businesses. It is arguable that further behavioural changes would be minimal if there were to be a zero tolerance of alcohol.
Opponents of further tightening of the drink/driving laws may say that, notwithstanding the lower alcohol limits now in force, road deaths and injuries have not abated as expected. It is a specious argument. There are many variables in the equation: the rise in vehicle numbers and in road traffic; improved economic conditions, with more social activity; increases in population, especially in urban areas, and so on.
It is, of course, correct to say that drink alone is not the cause of Ireland's exceptionally high rates of road deaths and injuries. (Accident rates in the UK and in some Scandinavian countries are about half of those in Ireland.) Speed, an antiquated and often substandard road network, faulty vehicles and lack of proficiency in modern driving standards all contribute to the annual carnage. And, in spite of the statistics advanced by the Commissioner, there is a continuing perception that Garda enforcement patterns are sporadic and poor. There is a belief that many Garda declarations of intent in relation to road traffic law are just that. Whatever happened, for example, to the much-trumpeted campaign against jay-walking?
Commissioner Byrne's logic is valid. But there is abundant anecdotal evidence that existing road traffic law is not observed or enforced here at the levels which apply in the UK or in other EU states. Is there much to be gained from adding new law where existing regulations are so extensively flouted?