Referring to "frightening statistics" on the latest trend in drink driving detections the Minister of State for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Robert Molloy, hinted that moves might be made to further reduce allowable levels of alcohol for drivers.
The success of the Christmas drink-driving campaigns in recent years had produced a certain level of social unacceptability of drink driving he said.
But much remained to be done, Mr Molloy stressed. While 62 per cent of more than 6,500 cases analysed by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety last year had been over twice the legal limit, the figure for the first four months of 1998 was 64 per cent of the 1,750 samples analysed. This served to remind us that we still face a huge challenge in changing drink driving behaviour.
It was estimated that in this State alcohol was a factor in 25 per cent of all road accidents and in 33 per cent of fatal accidents. The blame lay on irresponsible drivers and pedestrians. One-third of pedestrians killed had very high blood alcohol levels and most of these accidents occurred during the hours of darkness. The figures were a very serious indictment of Irish social practices.
We had reduced the permissible blood alcohol limit to 80 mg per 100 mg of blood and had put in place one of the most stringent penalty systems in the EU.
The European Commission's road safety programme suggested that there would be up to 40 per cent less fatalities if by legislative enforcement and education measures, the estimated one-in-20 drivers who sometimes drove under the influence of alcohol could be convinced or compelled not to drive with a blood alcohol content exceeding 50 mg. That programme included the re-examination of a proposal for a directive to harmonise blood alcohol limits across the EU at 50 mg.
Under our 1994 Act we had joined a majority of EU memberstates in operating the 80 mg limit, and the priority for us had been its enforcement and the gaining of public support for it rather than embarking on further legislative change.
"A number of EU countries have since moved down or are planning to move down to the lower 50 mg limit. We will monitor and assess the effectiveness of such moves," Mr Molloy added.
Mr Joe Doyle (FG) said he was horrified at the statistics given by the Minister. Random testing of motorists should be introduced to increase drivers' perception of the risk of being detected.
Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) maintained that dramatic action was needed to convince the populist that road deaths on the present scale were not inevitable. One psychological method of trying to achieve this would be to stage a Telethon-like event over a weekend with the aim of assuring that no road fatalities occurred.
House leader, Mr Donie Cassidy, expressed concern about the huge number of under 21year-olds among hospital admissions for alcohol abuse.
Mr Willie Farrell (FF) called for an end to the glamorisation of alcohol in advertising and other sections of the media. TV soaps paid a particular role in this regard, he said.
But it was essential to remember that alcohol had been responsible for the deaths of a greater number of people than those who had been killed as a result of the troubles in Northern Ireland over the last three decades.