Drink-driving must be consigned to past

IT is a matter of public record that this country for many years had one of worst records for traffic fatalities in Europe.

There is no doubt that the situation has improved in recent decades. And by any reckoning, the single biggest factor in this change was the introduction of penalty points in 2002.

But there have been worrying signs in recent times that motorists are falling back into the bad old habits of yesteryear. Back in the Seventies and Eighties, the incidence of drivers getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol was widespread.

This was the case in both our cities and in rural regions. And, disturbingly, there didn’t seem to be much stigma attached.

Times have changed and, during the past two decades, there were growing signs that drink-driving was no longer socially acceptable in any way, shape or form. Against that backdrop, the findings of the AA survey revealed today are both depressing and disappointing in the extreme.

Research shows that one in eight motorists admit to having driven while over the limit at some point in the past two years. If these are the numbers willing to acknowledge doing so, it seems safe to assume the real figure is considerably higher.

Perhaps most disturbing of all, though, is the fact that almost a quarter of drivers aged between 17 and 24 say they have sat behind the wheel while under the influence.

These statistics make a mockery of the suggestion that the only offenders are a small coterie of elderly men in remote outposts who drive home after sipping a bottle or two of stout at their nearest pub.

There has been a widespread assumption that members of the younger generation are more responsible in terms of health and safety. After all, fewer of them smoke cigarettes and many are regulars at their local gym.

But the results of this study clearly show that the message on drink-driving isn’t getting through to a significant cohort. Which is why, it hardly needs saying, the recently introduced zero-tolerance policy is the correct approach.