Drink-driving shame
One in eight motorists admit driving over the legal alcohol limit
AS many as one in eight motorists have admitted to driving while over the legal alcohol limit within the last two years.
The most likely age group to drink and drive were younger drivers aged between 17 and 24, said a survey by AA Car Insurance.
Just under a quarter of Irish motorists in the 17-to-24 age bracket admitted to driving while over the legal limit in the past two years.
The survey also found that those over 65 were the least likely to have done so – with 10.4% of them admitting to having driven while over the limit.
AA director of consumer affairs, Conor Faughnan, described the survey’s findings as disturbing.
He said: ‘Ultimately, while the number of young drivers admitting to drink-driving was disturbingly high, there is no single age bracket here who can claim to be free of this problematic behaviour .
‘And it’s on all of us to do a better job of regulating our own behaviour as well as that of friends or family who we may be attending events with in the weeks ahead.’
The AA is urging motorists not to get behind the wheel as the Christmas party season kicks off. And the motoring group is calling on the Government to provide additional resources to gardaí to adequately police roads over the Christmas period.
According to the survey, male drivers were slightly more likely to have driven while over the legal limit in the past two years, with 13.4% of male respondents admitting to doing so on at least one occasion, compared to 11.9% of female drivers.
Mr Faughnan urged people to plan their journeys home before going out and not to drink and drive.
He said: ‘Drink-driving has long been a scourge on Irish society and, while such behaviour has become reprehensible in the eyes of most of us, there is still a significant minority who are selfishly willing to risk the safety of other road users rather than behaving responsibly.’
At the launch of the Garda’s Christmas road safety campaign last week, Assistant Commissioner David Sheahan said: ‘Morning after” drivers who may still be drunk the next morning will be a key focus of the Christmas... campaign.’
Some 11% of fatal collisions involving drink took place between 7am and 11am, according to Garda and Road Safety Authority figures for this year. Just one glass of wine or a pint of beer could put you over the drink-driving limit, motorists have been warned.
Gardaí and Road Safety Authority launched their Christmas and New Year safety appeal last Thursday last and are urging people not to drink and drive.
Following months of debate in the Dáil, tougher anti-drink driving laws came into force in October, triggering automatic disqualification for those found over the legal alcohol limit.
The new law bans first-time drink-driving offenders for three months if caught with blood- alcohol levels of 50mg to 80mg per 100ml.
The Irish Daily Mail recently revealed that one-in-seven motorists stopped at Garda checkpoints have been found to have traced of drugs in their system.
The Freedom of Information request showed that since April last year, when drug-driving tests were introduced, 296 drivers have been caught with opiates, hashish, cocaine or other drugs in their blood stream. That is out of just over 2,070 drivers stopped as part of the crackdown.