Drink-driving may have killed over 1,000 in decade

Drink driving may have caused more than 1,000 fatal road crashes over the last decade, it emerged today.

The Road Safety Authority said motorists are six times more likely to have a collision when at the drink driving limit.

The research was revealed by experts from across Europe attending a lecture on alcohol and driving at Dublin Castle.

It is believed driving under the influence contributes to as many as 10,000 deaths on EU roads every year and over 1,000 fatal collisions in Ireland between 1999 to 2008.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said behind every statistic is a life lost, a grieving family and a shattered community.

“The overwhelming body of scientific evidence could not be any clearer,” said Mr Dempsey, opening the lecture which marked the first day of Irish road safety week.

“Any amount of alcohol impairs driving and increases the risk of being in a collision.

“Thankfully the majority of people in this country now believe that drinking and driving is simply not acceptable behaviour in today’s society,” he continued.

The RSA said drink driving is a male problem and can cause one in three fatal collisions.

They also warned almost one in five drivers killed with alcohol in their system were under the legal limit when they died.

The Government’s Road Safety Strategy wants to reduce collisions, deaths and injuries on Irish roads by 30%, which could save 400 lives by the end of 2012.

Members of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) from Ireland, Austria and Switzerland discussed the drink-driving situation in both Ireland and the EU at the lecture in Dublin.

Gay Byrne, RSA chairman, said that as a society, we must finally lay to rest any lingering doubts that drink-driving and its consequences are unintentional.

“There is nothing unintentional about drinking and driving. Drink driving does not happen by chance. Drink driving happens by choice. I have a choice, you have a choice,” added Mr Byrne.

“This fact is one of the hardest things for victims and their families to come to terms with – that it could have been prevented if only someone had made a better decision the right decision.

“That decision is of course to never, ever drink and drive.”