TONY ALLWRIGHT,
Sir, - So the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol trots out in its report the old chestnut that the allowable blood alcohol levels for motorists should be cut (The Irish Times, May 29th). Though Environment Minister Dempsey mooted something similar last March, as have various British Ministers, such a cut is utterly without foundation.
The Irish and British limit is 0.08 mg/ml; most European limits are 0.05 mg/ml. There is a wealth of irrefutable evidence that blood-alcohol contributes directly to motor accidents, but no research has ever been published that shows that the lower European limit lowers the accident rate.
What undoubtedly does lower the accident rate is enforcement (think Scandinavia), of which here in Ireland there is almost none. The Strategic Task Force on Alcohol should therefore argue for enforcement of the existing blood-alcohol limit rather than the meaningless gesture of lowering the existing, unenforced, limit.
But, of course, enforcement would be very unpopular with many drinking voters. - Yours, etc.,
TONY ALLWRIGHT, Killiney, Co Dublin.
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Sir, - Isn't it wonderful that it has finally dawned on the Government that alcohol use and abuse lurks behind many of our national problems, such as public disorder, suicide and the crisis in hospital A&E departments?
Let's now hope it follows international example in tackling the problems. The solutions include: significant taxes on the product, restriction of availability, promotion and sponsorships, and education.
I hope that our politicians will find the courage to face down the vested interests involved. - Yours, etc.,
PADDY HATHAWAY, Collins Square, Dublin 7.