An Oireachtas committee will today call on the Government to consider holding a referendum to permit the introduction of random testing of motorists in order to cut the number of deaths on Irish roads.
The third interim report of the Committee on Small Enterprise and Business on the reform of the Irish insurance industry recommends that the Government should consider holding a referendum to clear the way for such testing.
The committee, which is chaired by Longford-Westmeath TD Donie Cassidy, has concluded that a referendum is now required to clarify the law.
At present it is illegal for gardaí to stop motorists at random to perform breath tests. They can ask a motorist to take a test only after they have formed an opinion that he or she is driving under the influence of alcohol.
The committee recommendation is that random testing be permitted for all forms of substance abuse that could impair the ability of a motorist to drive safely.
The National Safety Council has for some time been calling on the Government to hold a referendum in order to change the law. Acting head of the National Safety Council Alan Richardson has said the measure could save 150 lives every year.
The number of road deaths in 2005 was 399, which was the worst year since 2001, when 411 people died.
The current road safety strategy aims to reduce the number of deaths to less than 300 a year.
The introduction of random breath-testing was originally announced in 1999 as an element in the Government's road safety strategy. However, there was a delay in changing the law to permit its introduction because of advice from the Attorney General that the measure was potentially unconstitutional.
Another recommendation of the Oireachtas committee is that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment should make early provision for the inclusion of the driver theory test for transition-year students in second-level schools, and that simulated driver instruction should be provided to all school pupils on reaching the age of 17.
The committee also considered a range of measures to ensure that young male drivers comply with speed limits. A suggested option was that young drivers who are prepared to have a speed-monitoring device installed in their cars should qualify for reduced premiums.
The establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to oversee radical changes in road safety measures is also among the recommendations. Since it started to examine the reasons for the high cost of insurance in 2003 the committee has had a significant impact.
Its first report helped to clear the way for the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board which has had a considerable impact on the cost of insurance.
A spokesman said last night the Minister for Transport was keen to make some progress on the testing of motorists for drugs in the next year to 18 months.
