The wrecked remains of cars on the verges of many a suburban dual-carriageway or city motorway are stark proof of the inherent dangers of modern driving as deaths on the Republic's roads rise to more than 400 so far this year. The message is clear and repeatedly instilled into every motoring citizen: speed kills, and alcohol and speed kill even faster.
However, there is one crucial factor that is often left out of the equation when it comes to teasing out the underlying cause of an accident, apportioning blame and cautioning motorists. This is the presence of drugs - prescribed or illegal - in the bodily fluids of the drivers involved in the accident. "This is something we should be seriously addressing," says Dr Ide Delargy, GP co-ordinator in substance abuse for Dublin's northside.
"We give warnings - verbally and in writing - to everyone we treat about the potential risks of driving or using heavy machinery when on methadone. And we encourage people to take this information on board. "On the illegal end of drugs, the problem is unquantifiable. People are taking totally random amounts and types of medicine. I'm horrified by the thought that such people are behind the wheel of vehicles, yet we know it happens."
Evidence of this was heard in an inquest last month following the horrific accident on the Drogheda to Dundalk road in which six people were killed. The driver of the car, Anthony O'Brien, who was estimated to have been doing 100 miles per hour on the wrong side of the road when he collided head-on with the lorry, tested positive for cannabinoids as well as having a blood-alcohol reading of 202 milligrames per 100 millilitres.
Dr Delargy continues: "Then there are huge numbers of people taking prescribed medications such as anti-depressants and benzodiazepines such as valium, sleeping tablets and relaxants and continuing to drive despite the side-effects which can cause drowsiness and impaired awareness.
Drug-taking and driving is something we are just not taking seriously enough in this country. And while some drugs may be perfectly safe to take at a therapeutic level, when mixed with alcohol, the consequences can be serious." Supt Alistair McLuckie, head of the Traffic Department of Strathclyde Police - where the first British survey of drug-driving is being carried out - concurs: "The whole issue of drug-taking and driving is a sleeping giant.
It doesn't make a difference whether you are talking about illegal drugs, prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medicines, the crux of the matter is whether the ability to drive is impaired," he says.
Recent figures in Britain claim that more than 100,000 motorists could be driving under the influence of drugs. Early findings of a three-year study confirmed that a quarter of those involved in 465 road traffic deaths in a period of 11 months had taken drugs.
In Ireland, no such figures are available and the 1996 Garda Commissioner's Crime Report did not identify drug-driving offences as a specific category of crime. Are we perhaps ignoring that sleeping giant at our peril? And should drug-taking and driving be getting more serious attention from the law-enforcing agencies of our State?
Supt Vincent Maguire of the National Road Traffic Policy Bureau at Garda headquarters says that the number of drug-driving cases identified here is small at present but it is an area which is currently being looked at.
The fact that only 16 blood or urine samples were sent for drug testing last year (following drivers being stopped by the Garda for appearing to be incapable of driving and then brought to a Garda station for tests) perhaps indicates more a disinclination to test for drugs rather than the absence of them in dangerous drivers.
The results of these 16 tests did, however, find a wide range of drugs, including amphetamines, methadone and morphine.
At present, drug-driving offences are dealt with under the Road Traffic Act 1994 which states that it is an offence to drive or attempt to drive or be in charge of a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.
While intoxicants include alcohol, drugs or both, alcohol remains the first (and often only) intoxicant to be tested for by the Garda.
Penalties include up to £1,000 fine and two years mandatory disqualification from driving with a discretionary six-month term of imprisonment.
However, random testing for either drugs or alcohol is not permitted in this country. A garda can request a driver to comply with a breathaliser test if he or she is "of the opinion" that the driver is unfit to drive. Currently, there is no roadside drugs test.
This situation, by its very nature, is biased towards alcohol as being the main substance of abuse in dangerous-driving cases. Fair enough, given the statistics, you may say. But, isn't this the typical, you-only-get-what-you're-looking-for scenario? If drivers were tested for drugs as well as alcohol, might we not see a rise in the number of cases where drugs were a major factor in driver incompetence? And furthermore, if pathologists reports included more detailed information about the levels of drugs detected during post-mortem examinations of drivers killed in road accidents, would this not increase our awareness of the problem? "There is no standardised equipment as yet to use in a roadside test for drugs and there is nothing in the pipeline that will be here quickly," says Supt Maguire. "It doesn't strike me as being particularly urgent."
Dr Denis Cusask of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, Department of Forensic Medicine, University College Dublin points to a current model for roadside drug testing.
Called drugwipe, it can detect and confirm the presence of heroin, morphine, amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis.
The growing campaign for the legalisation of cannabis in Britain (which has some supporters in this country) must also consider how such a so-called soft drug would impair driver competence if it were legalised.
The Strathclyde Police Department has been tackling the drug-driving problem for three years now. "In the fullness of time, there will be a generic drug-screening device.
In the interim, how many people will die or be seriously injured?," asks Supt McLuckie. "The difficulty is that a lot of people may have a mixture of drugs and alcohol in their system," comments Dr Cusask.
It is significant perhaps that post-mortem examinations of Henri Paul, the Mercedes driver in the fatal Paris crash which killed Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi al-Fayed and the driver himself, was found to have traces of anti-depressants and the alcoholism treatment drug, antibuse, as well as 175 mls of alcohol in his blood.
Experts agree that those taking legally prescribed medicines should be very aware of any side effects that may cause drowsiness or dizziness when driving. There is also an onus on doctors to check whether patients need to drive to help them choose the most appropriate medication.
Of course the arrival of roadside tests is only one factor in approaching the drug-driving problem. Educating the Garda to identify the aforementioned hidden symptoms of drug taking which affect driving is another.
Supt Vincent Maguire admits that identifying drivers under the influence of drugs is more difficult than recognising the presence of alcohol.
Supt Alastair McLuckie concludes: "My personal viewpoint is what is needed is mass public education to convince the public that there is a problem with drug-taking and driving. Alongside this, we need to re-educate the police force on how to identify and deal with the symptoms of drug-taking and driving."