Random breath tests - Lives saved thanks to legislation

Paul Stevenson, president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), had called for the introduction of legislation to provide a compensation package for the rural pubs for loss of business since the introduction of random breath testing in July.

He indicated that the VFI would be demanding government action on the lines of compensation packages provided for farmers and fishermen. Publicans had a powerful and effective lobby for many years, but they have not helped their cause by the manner in which they resisted the smoking ban in the workplace, or their carping attitude towards random breath testing. They have little sympathy, because both initiatives have turned out to be particularly popular with the public.

The total number of people killed on our roads by this time last year was 366, but that figure was down to 345 yesterday. There is little doubt that the improvement is largely due to the introduction of random breath testing.

But the figure is a far from complete reflection of the improvement, because road deaths were actually significantly up during the first half of the year. In the first six months of last year there were 221 road deaths, but this jumped to 241 in the same period of this year.

This amounted to an increase of almost 10%. At the same rate of increase the figure for yesterday would have been over 400. Thus there are about 55 people alive today who would otherwise have been killed in car accidents, and that represents the improvement in little over five months.

There are hundreds of others who would have been injured or even maimed.

Moreover, countless families have been spared the trauma and enormous distress. The random breath testing must be the most effective piece of legislation ever introduced in this country. People have not been slow to criticise Justice Minister Michael McDowell for his mistakes, but on this matter he deserves full credit. The real impact has probably not had a chance to filter through properly. Garda figures have been showing that there are still people prepared to drive while over the limit.

Around 400 people a week are being arrested for drink driving offences. Over decades a culture of tolerance towards drink driving developed in this country.

Some older people will remember a time when those who drove over three miles to a pub were legally entitled to drink for longer than the regular hours.

This undoubtedly contributed to the drink-driving culture. If gardaí continue to enforce the new law with the same application, drink driving may not be completely eradicated, but the culture of tolerance that surrounded the practice will surely be a thing of the past.

Advances resulting from the penalty points system proved a false dawn, because a perception developed that the system was not being properly enforced.

Hence it is imperative that there should be no easing up on the enforcement of random breath testing.