A STRONG linkage has always existed between drunken driving and the number of deaths on our roads. But it was ignored by vested interests. Now, arising from more intense enforcement measures by the Garda Síochána, the number of road deaths has fallen to its lowest level in more than 50 years. That is a major achievement and should not be put at risk by those who complain about the negative effects drink-driving laws are having on social life in rural Ireland and on the pub trade in particular.
A sympathetic ear has been lent, all too often, to those who grumble that a traditional way of life is being destroyed. This scenario envisages elderly farmers coming to town, meeting their friends, drinking four or five pints and then driving safely back to their hill farms. It is a Rip Van Winkle notion. The time when black Morris minors left pubs in the early hours and conveyed their owners safely home at a sedate 25 miles an hour has long gone. Today, those same roads have been widened and re-surfaced and are home to boy racers who rarely adhere to speed limits. In such circumstances, a combination of youthful speed and befuddled age has only one outcome.
More than half a million breath tests were conducted at random Garda checkpoints last year, an increase of nine per cent on 2009. Although the number of checkpoints and breath tests increased, there was a drop of 41 per cent on the number of motorists who were found to be breaking the law. A pattern of increasing compliance with drink-driving legislation was also evident in the number of motorists who were breathalysed after they were seen to be driving dangerously. This transformational change in motorists’ attitudes is to be warmly welcomed.
The level of public compliance with traffic laws is directly related to a fear of being caught. In recent years, the establishment of a dedicated Garda traffic corps, with more regular and random checkpoints, has altered the behaviour of most motorists. However, many drivers still believe they will not be caught. That is why a Garda presence on the roads and the number of random checkpoints should remain high. Legislation allowing for breath-testing at all crash sites must also be treated as a priority. Alcohol is a contributory factor in one-third of all fatal crashes and 90 per cent of those who die are male. There can be no excuse for drinking and driving and putting lives at risk. Public opinion and the behaviour of most drivers have come to reflect that view.