Mother whose son died in drink driving crash cannot understand those defending drinking and driving

A mother whose son died in a car crash involving a drunk driver, says she can not understand how anyone can defend drinking and driving.

Christina Donnelly, who lobbied to change the bail laws for drink drivers - says she is deeply concerned over recent lobbying against the Transport Minister's plan to ban first time offenders.

Kerry TD, Danny Healy Rae and a number of other deputies have disputed the minister's facts.

But Christina says rural isolation is no reason to drink and and get behind the wheel of a car: "If an effort was made to allocate a little mini bus from the publicans down there, to bring the elderly people, with all due respect, the elderly people, bring them to the pub, let them enjoy their pint after perhaps working on the farm all day.

"Bring them to the pub, there is nothing stopping this happening, this is an excuse all the time as far as I am concerned."

Christina made these comments as a retort to Dáil remarks by TD Danny Healy-Rae who said that someone drinking three glasses of Guinness will not cause fatalities on Irish roads.

Mr Healy-Rae said: “Two glasses, or three glasses of Guinness will not cause anyone to have a fatality,” he said.

“If we’re going to go down that round, the next thing will be … the cough bottle, or the medicines … that they will be the cause of the accident as well.

“So look – get real about it, check out those figures, because I know what I’m talking about is the truth.”

Read:

Read More:

Danny Healy-Rae says three glasses of Guinness will not cause road fatalities