Drivers don’t drink at garages

IN a recent article about the sale of alcohol at garages (August 2), Gordon Holmes, chair of the Garda Síochána Complaints Board, said, “You are permitting people who are attached to garages, where cars go for petrol, to sell drink to the people who are driving those cars. I think the perception of that must raise queries in any ordinary person’s mind.”

Does Mr Holmes really believe these ordinary people have a corkscrew and a glass ready in the car so they can have a nice relaxing merlot on the way home?

Should off-licences and supermarkets prevent people in possession of car keys from buying beer, only selling to those on foot or bicycle?

Let’s act on the things that can make an immediate difference. Random breath testing has seen a huge shift in people’s attitude to drink-driving — we should continue to build on that.

As to the other major cause of deaths on our roads — speed — we were told all speed limits would be reviewed after the changeover from miles to kilometres. There is very little evidence of this happening.

The “straight road” in Cork was recently widened to include a bus lane, with a footpath and cycle lane on each side. While work was in progress, the speed limit was reduced to 50km/h but this returned to 100km/h when the works were complete.

This is on a road where hundreds of people walk every day and now cyclists are being put at risk inches away from speeding vehicles. Was safety even considered in this project?

There are examples like this all over the country.

Surely we can act on this type of problem immediately instead of worrying about people picking up a bottle of wine to have with dinner when they get home.

Richard Leahy

28 Daffodil Fields

Poulavone

Ballincollig

Co Cork