The Road Safety Authority has criticised a Fine Gael councillor who admitted he drinks and drives, describing his comments as unacceptable.
Tipperary councillor Michael Fitzgerald, who has a previous conviction for drink driving, told local radio station TippFm yesterday that he often drove home while over the legal alcohol limit.
Asked if he drove after drinking, Cllr Fitzgerald replied: "I do drink and drive. I drink about three to four pints. I have never been breathalysed. I have been put off the road but I have never killed anybody."
Fine Gael Tipperary councillor Michael Fitzgerald
Mr Fitzgerald claimed mandatory drink-driving regime by gardaí was damaging the social fabric of rural Ireland and gardai should concentrate on tackling "boy racers" instead.
The councillor said most fatal crashes involved 17 to 22-year-olds and were as a result of speed.
Cllr Fitzgerald told Tipp FM: "I have neighbours, and I have friends, and I have people that go to the pub every single night of the week and they drink three or four pints and they go home, they drive home in the jeep or in the car. They are not drunk they are well able to take it. "
Another thing that has happened quite a bit and I think it is is totally unjust and unfair, is catching people the morning after, breathalysing them and putting them off the road the morning after it is wrong."
The chief executive of the Road Safety Authority Noel Brett this morning said Mr Fitzgerald was sending out the wrong message.
"I wouldn't be using whether or not someone has been killed or seriously injured as the bench mark. The reality is drink driving is not acceptable.
"We know from our own market research that 87 per cent of the Irish population actually want more drink driving enforcement."
He said there have been 30 less deaths on the roads since the introduction of random alcohol testing than during the same four-month period in 2005.
Mr Brett said a single alcoholic drink could affect a person's ability to drive. "The comments in relation to the morning after also need picking up because that is the time when there is an interaction potentially between fatigue and alcohol and its also the time when some of our most vulnerable road users are on the road and they are young children going to and from school and people going too and from work."
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is expected to refer the matter to a meeting of his party's executive recommending that the party whip be removed from Cllr Fitzgerald.