Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd has called on the Government to set a three-month deadline for the introduction of mandatory alcohol testing for those involved in serious car crashes.
Mr O'Dowd said the Government's "climbdown" was a welcome victory for families and campaigners "who have lost loved ones to road deaths".
He claimed it was a clear reversal of the stand taken by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, when he had told the Dáil last June that he did not propose to alter the current position. He said the Minister had only changed his mind because of last night's Fine Gael private member's motion on road safety.
"This U-turn shows clearly that Fianna Fáil cannot be held responsible for implementing its own election promises and Fine Gael will continue to hold the Government to account in this and other crucial areas of legislation.
"This legislation is important because many drink-drivers involved in serious or fatal accidents have been slipping through the net. Mandatory testing at accidents is already the norm in Northern Ireland and many other European countries, and EU legislation regards it as a human rights issue."
Mr Dowd said the Government's reversal was also a tacit acknowledgment that Fianna Fáil had not tackled road deaths. "Fatalities in the last two months are up 35 per cent compared to the same period last year and drink-driving is still a very widespread problem." A recent EU study had also confirmed that Ireland still had one of the worst records in Europe for reducing road deaths.
"Disgracefully, there has been no national road safety strategy since last Christmas because the Government did not prepare a replacement in time."
Noel Dempsey said a report by the European Transport Safety Council acknowledged that road fatalities in Ireland had fallen by 10.9 per cent between 2001 and 2006. "However, more importantly, it does not reflect the fact that there has been a 25 per cent reduction in road fatalities over the last 12 months and this downward annual trend is continuing."
He said the road safety strategy 2004-2006 committed the Government to introducing a form of roadside breath-testing which would address the problem of drinking and driving.
Legislation was introduced to provide for an appropriate form of roadside mandatory alcohol testing, providing for an increased deterrent effect. There had been 90 fewer road deaths in the 12 months since the introduction of the measure compared to the previous 12-month period, he added.
