Stricter laws on drink driving in Ireland have been approved by the Government

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross is hoping that the laws will come into effect as soon as possible.

The Government has given its approval to a bill that will see Irish motorists found guilty of drink driving disqualified from driving. Having got approval from Cabinet, the General Scheme of a Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty – Drink Driving) Bill 2017 will be submitted to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for formal drafting, with a view to its publication as soon as possible. Commenting after the bill was granted Government approval on Tuesday, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross said: “The evidence shows that despite a perception to the contrary, drink driving continues to be a very serious issue in this country. We can no longer be ambivalent in our attitude toward this destructive practice.” Research conducted by the Road Safety Authority cites alcohol as a contributory factor in 38% of fatal collisions in the four-year period examined. In a six-week period over Christmas and the New Year, An Garda Síochána’s Drink Driving Campaign resulted in 961 arrests for drink driving, a 35% increase in arrests on the same period a year previous. “What I am now proposing is that the existing provision allowing people to get penalty points rather than a disqualification for drink driving sends the wrong message and should go,” Ross continued. “Instead of three penalty points, such drivers will get a three-month disqualification. This is quite proportionate. Drink driving is serious, and potentially fatal. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair people’s reactions, and that cannot be tolerated when people are behind the wheel of a car.” “It is important to get it out there and working, and with it the message that drink driving will no longer be without serious consequences,” he added. “This is an important step on the road to enacting what will be a focused, timely and urgently needed piece of legislation which will ultimately save lives.”