Bertie Ahern has, once again, raised the possibility of introducing random breath-testing for motorists in order to reduce the number of road deaths. This is the politician who, six years ago, launched a government road safety programme which promised random breath-testing and a network of speed cameras. Since then, a succession of ministers has given similar undertakings. But nothing has happened. In the Dáil yesterday the Taoiseach spoke of possible legal difficulties with random testing, but he still hoped the matter could be dealt with in forthcoming road safety legislation.
What is going on? Lives are at stake here. For so long as motorists know they cannot be breathalysed at Garda checkpoints without due cause, they will continue to drink and drive and take risks. If there are legal difficulties with random breath-testing, these should be resolved through a constitutional referendum. All that is required is political will.
So far this year, 353 people have been killed on our roads. Last weekend, 10 people died. And there is no sign of the carnage diminishing. The sad fact is that driver behaviour contributes to 86 per cent of fatal road accidents. One-third of those crashes do not involve another vehicle. Many motorists are driving too fast, without seatbelts and under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They do so because they have little fear of being caught. Traffic laws are not being rigorously enforced and the number of gardaí involved in road safety is too low.
The Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, pledged greater enforcement of drink-driving laws this Christmas at a cross-Border road safety campaign. That is a welcome undertaking. But, in the absence of random breath-testing, the pattern of other years is likely to be repeated. Those who test positive at Garda checkpoints invariably have twice the permissible blood/alcohol levels. In other words, you have to be really drunk and incapable of driving to be caught.
The cross-Border campaign unveiled yesterday discourages motorists from taking any drink before they drive. Even small amounts of alcohol impair driving skills. As the chairman of the National Safety Council, Eddie Shaw, said: when the unexpected happens on the road - and it frequently does - just one drink can become a killer. Nearly 800 people have died as a result of alcohol-related crashes on this island during the past five years. That is a totally unacceptable situation. Political pussy-footing must end. Ireland has a serious drink problem. And it is killing people on the roads. The Government should treat road safety with the seriousness it deserves.