One third of drivers killed in crashes had been drinking

A THIRD of all motorists killed in road crashes had been drinking, new figures show.

Transport Minister Shane Ross, who wants a blanket ban for all drinkdrivers, said the findings prove Ireland’s unhealthy relationship with drink is ‘spilling onto our roads’.

The figures, part of the initial findings of an upcoming report by the Health Research Board, also show the vast majority who had been drinking before driving are men.

The examination of toxicology reports for 2014 – the latest available records of road traffic victims – found some 33% of drivers, of both cars and motorcycles, who died in crashes that year tested positive for alcohol.

It also revealed that more than a quarter (28%) of pedestrians killed on the road had drink in their systems.

And of all victims who tested positive for alcohol, 96% of them were men.

Mr Ross is seeking cross-party support in the Oireachtas for new legislation which would bring in automatic disqualification for all drivers found to have been drinking over the legal limit.

However, Fianna Fáil plans to block the planned crackdown. Currently, drivers caught with between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol per 100ml blood in their systems will get three penalty points and a €200 fine for their first offence.