The impact of alcohol abuse on road deaths was not been adequately tackled by politicians because of the influence publicans have over them, Mr Brendan McGahon (FG, Louth) claimed.

Mr McGahon, who is retiring at the next election, said he believed, after 20 years in Leinster House, that the two major problems facing Irish society were the adoration and glorification of alcohol. Carnage on Irish roads was directly linked to alcohol abuse, to which Irish people were particularly prone, he added.

"More people per head of population are killed on Irish roads than in any other country in Europe. We do not address this problem in a meaningful way.

"One of the reasons for that is the lobby which the vintners' association has on Irish society and on the political world, my party included. Most rural deputies hold their clinics in public houses and often receive a useful subscription from the owner during election time.

"We have all been invited by the vintners' association to a drinks reception. I hope to see the day when an Irish government will come to terms with the tragedy which alcohol wreaks on the Irish nation and young people in particular." Speaking during the resumed debate on the Road Traffic Bill 2001, Mr McGahon said up to 400 people were killed on Irish roads every year.

"The media does not give these fragmented events the attention they deserve. Families are left to grieve alone. If 400 people were killed in an explosion in this country the media would not leave it alone for two years."

Mr John Dennehy (FF, Cork South Central) said there should be a crackdown on those driving under the influence of illegal drugs. "We were not helped by our colleagues in the UK, who last week moved the offence of the use of cannabis down a category."

Agreeing, Mr Tom Hayes (FG, Tipperary South) said a garda told him recently "he had stopped a few young drivers whom he knew to be under the influence of drugs. They had not been drinking. He tested them for drink, but he knew they had taken some other substance. This is a serious matter. That is probably the reason one will see young drivers racing cars late at night on certain stretches of the road."

He said students should be trained for driving during the transition years in schools.

"At that age, they are not legally handling cars, but they are familiar with them and watch motor racing on television. The dangers of the roads should be part of the school curriculum."