Gertie Shields of the Mothers Against Drink Driving (MADD) pressure group has been lobbying for stricter enforcement of the drink-driving laws since her daughter, Paula, was killed in a horrific accident in 1983.
"Paula and five of her friends were killed by a drunken lorry driver who admitted in court that he had 10 drinks that day," she says. "He killed six young people but never went to jail. He got a two-year suspended sentence and a 15-year driving ban which was later reduced to seven. It prompted me to set up Mothers Against Drink Driving in 1985."
She would like to see people take civil actions against drunk drivers who have maimed or killed their relatives, but says it's too costly at present.
"Most people are frightened to take on something like that because of the costs involved," she says. "Besides money can't bring someone back. It's very painful - when they were assessing compensation for us in the court they were asking all sort of questions about my daughter - if she smoke, how much she drank and how much she spent on make-up. I just told the driver that my daughter didn't need any make-up by the time he had finished with her."
While her efforts over the years have borne some fruit, with lower legal limits and the imminent arrival of random breath-testing, she says that the drink-driving culture is still ingrained in Irish society.
"The recent case involving Eamon Dunphy was an absolute disgrace," she says. "In what other area of criminality would a nine-times offender not be sent to jail? It's incredible that he is allowed to walk free with that record. Drink-driving is seen in a different light to other offences. Had he been a thief who re-offended on eight occasions he would definitely have gone to prison. It seems that property is more important than people's safety.
"The Philip Sheedy affair was another disgrace. People at the very top of society who are meant to be guarding the rest of us intervened to have him released, while the victim's family was left to suffer on."
She welcomes the impending introduction of random breath- testing. "We've been campaigning for it for years but governments have just turned a deaf ear to us," she says. "The evidence is there from countries throughout the world that it works but it has been resisted here by those in power. I'm glad to see gardaí will be getting extra powers, but that won't stop me campaigning. I'm getting old in the cause now but I'll be here and I'll keep going until I can't speak any more."