Alcohol breath-test devices that can stop cars from starting may be introduced in State next year

A personal alcohol breath-test device for drivers that automatically prevents a vehicle from starting if the individual is over the limit could be introduced in the State before the end of 2024.

The Alcohol Ignition Interlock is fitted to the vehicle and detects the level of alcohol on the driver’s breath.

The introduction of the devices is an action plan in the Government’s Road Safety Strategy and has now been included in the priorities of Minister of State for Road Safety Jack Chambers’ ministerial priorities for 2023 and 2024.

The Medical Bureau for Road Safety (MBRS) has been actively involved to ensure the device, once approved, complies to the highest EU standards.

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MBRS director Prof Denis Cusack will tell an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday that preparations to introduce the device to Ireland are at a relatively advanced stage.

He said that, initially, the alcohol interlock would be introduced on a voluntary basis for participating commercial fleets and businesses, and schoolbus service providers.

“It is an important first step in this action to reduce and eventually eliminate drink-driving, and is a win message to bring to the public at this time of concern.”

The MBRS, An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority have been invited by the all-party committee on transport to discuss measures to tackle the high numbers of road fatalities that have occurred in 2023.

In his opening statement, Prof Cusack also says that the MBRS received almost 4,000 urine and blood samples from the Garda for testing so far this year. The number is slightly down on 2022 but appreciably higher than the last other comparable year, 2019.

He said the median alcohol level was 160mg in blood and 198mg in urine, with the highest levels found being 415mg and 479mg respectively. The limit for blood is 50mg.

“The large majority of drivers with alcohol intoxication are, therefore, very drunk when driving and the predominant cohort is men under the age of 45 years,” he said.

He said drug testing in 2022 revealed that 2,828 samples were found to be positive for at least one drug on screening. The most frequently confirmed drugs on the second stage of analysis and certified by statutory certificate were cannabis (1,949); cocaine (889); opiates (214); and benzodiazepines (101).

“The drug patterns have continued into 2023 and those drugs continue to be the most prevalent drugs in driving under the influence of drugs.

“The legal limits for the two types of cannabis analysed are 1ng and 5ng per millilitre in blood and the mean levels found were 6.2 and 65 respectively. For the two types of cocaine analysed, the limits are 10 and 50 ng/ml and the mean levels found in drivers’ blood were 34 and 605 respectively.

“As with alcohol, those drivers detected drug-driving were therefore multiples of the limit,” he said, adding: “drug-driving is now on a par with drink driving”.

The opening statements from the Garda will show that the three highest counties for fatalities in 2023 are Mayo, Galway and Tipperary. It said of the additional 4,000 or so hours allotted to Go Safe speed detection vans between now and the end of 2023, a larger proportion would go to Garda divisions in those counties.

The statistics show that speed is a factor in many of the fatalities, that a quarter of those who have died were pedestrians, that a quarter were passengers, and a little more than a third were drivers.

It also showed that four cyclists have died in 2023 as well as three people driving e-scooters. Some 105 of the 136 fatalities were men and more than half of the fatalities occurred over the three weekend days.