Byrne: Breath test legislation will help save lives

LEADING road safety campaigner Gay Byrne has said legislation making breathalyser tests mandatory for anyone in a car accident where someone has been injured will significantly reduce the number of deaths on Irish roads.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after the long-fought-for new law was passed by the Dáil, the veteran broadcaster and Road Safety Authority (RSA) chairman said the legislation will become a vital tool for gardaí.

“I’m delighted it has been passed, and clearly it will make people less likely to think about taking a drink before they get onto the roads,” he said.

“The danger is also not just that you take a drink, but that someone else may take a drink. In those circumstances, even if you or the other driver just tips your car, you will have to have a breath test.

“Alcohol is a big factor in road accidents. But drug driving, and by that I mean both legal and illegal drugs other than alcohol, is almost on a level with drink driving at this stage.

“Until someone finds a way to test for that on the roadside there will still be issues,” Mr Byrne said.

The legislation makes it compulsory for anyone involved in a road accident where someone has been injured to undergo a garda breathalyser test.

In addition, officers can force someone to take the test for alcohol if they are under the impression that an individual is under the influence of the drug.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said the enactment of the law will act as a real deterrent to anyone who may believe they can drive after drinking.

A total of 61 people have lost their lives on Irish roads since the start of this year.

Meanwhile, major improvements are needed on national secondary roads to avoid increased road fatalities and deteriorating road conditions, the National Roads Authority (NRA) has warned.

A report by the NRA claims a majority of serious deficiencies in the 2,700km network of national secondary roads, first identified in 1998, have never been tackled.

A separate study by the NRA has also recommended the extension of tolls to eight new locations around the country which would raise an additional €62 million in revenue.

The NRA has acknowledged that most capital expenditure on roads over the past decade had concentrated on the national primary road network — to the detriment of national secondary roads.

“Relatively little finance has been provided for the National Secondary Road (NSR) network and the conditions and safety on this network are likely to deteriorate unless improvement works are implemented,” it warns.

The report ranks the N70 between Tralee and Kenmare and the N71 Cork-Killarney road via Skibbereen as the worst in the country.

The NRA claims the exchequer could gain an extra €62m annually through the creation of toll locations on the country’s main road network.

The suggested locations include two tolls on the N20 Cork-Limerick road at Croom and Mallow and Cork’s Jack Lynch Tunnel.

The NRA has predicted the Jack Lynch Tunnel will exceed capacity after work is completed to make the Dunkettle interchange a full freeflow junction.

It claims a toll would reduce a lot of non-essential traffic using the South Ring Road.