Breath testing - Cllr’s lethal attitude to drink

Fine Gael Councillor Michael Fitzgerald of South Tipperary County Council has certainly got plenty of publicity for his reckless complaint about targeting people driving after drinking three or four pints.

He provoked a storm of protest within Fine Gael, which only recently called for a zero tolerance approach towards drink driving. As a result, the party is likely to withdraw the whip from Cllr Fitzgerald.

People have a right to expect that public representatives should provide good example. The remarks reflect a lethal attitude towards drink that was tolerated for far too long in this country. Some people got away with driving home, after three or four drinks, without being involved in any accident. They were lucky, and so was everybody else who might have been on the road at the same time. Safety on our roads must not be left to luck.

Noel Brett, designated chief executive officer of the Road Safety Authority, told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise yesterday that 30 lives have been saved since the introduction of random breath testing this summer. That is proof of the effectiveness of the policy, so its rigorous implementation should be warmly commended, not criticised.