Drink driving is still a major road safety problem despite the change in social attitudes in recent years, the Minister of State at the Department of Environment Mr Robert Molloy said today.
He was speaking at the launch of the Drinks Industry Group’s £200,000 road safety campaign aimed at reducing drink related road accidents.
Dispelling the view that Ireland has tackled the problem of drink driving, the Minister said it is necessary to redouble road safety efforts, particularly as Ireland has "just gone through five or six days of the most horrific deaths on roads".
The death of two people after a car crash in Westmeath today brings to 14 the number of people who have died on the State's roads since the Saturday.
Minister Molloy said changing attitudes to road safety is the real challenge - without which road fatalities will continue.
Coinciding with the August Bank Holiday weekend, the campaign encourages people to appoint a designated driver when going out. It uses radio advertising and in-pub promotions to raise awareness of the need to "drive straight, designate".
Also speaking at the launch, Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne said everything must be done to prevent the present "carnage" on Irish roads.
He said it was "appalling" that about 1,000 people are arrested per month for drink driving.
Since the introduction of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy in 1997, there were 61,000 arrests for drink driving with almost 10,500 detections for the same offence in 2000.
Calling these figures shameful, the Commissioner said: "We have to do whatever is required to stop this type of behaviour".
The Designated Driver scheme is first being carried out as a pilot scheme in the Greater Dublin Area and Limerick over the August Bank Holiday weekend and targets the 18 to 24 year-old age group. Following research on its impact, it is expected to be extended nation-wide next year.
The initiative is supported by the European Commission and is also being launched in Denmark and Spain with a view to extending to other member states.