Road safety - Time to test drivers for other drugs

THE only remarkable thing about the announcement that all drivers involved in road accidents will face a mandatory breath test is that it has taken so long to introduce such a potentially effective measure.

The move will remove any ambiguity or awkwardness from what is often a difficult and fraught situation. It should offer protection to drivers who have not been drinking as well as a further deterrent to those who insist on drinking and driving.

Now that the cultural acceptance of driving after drinking is greatly diminished it is time to test drivers for drugs other than alcohol. Recreational drug use has become so everyday it must be the cause of some of the dreadful accidents on our roads.

Yesterday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny suggested that cars should be impounded if the driver cannot prove he is insured. He was making specific reference to foreigners driving in Ireland but it would be no bad idea to extend the principle to all drivers. The loss of a car would be a far more effective way of deterring these drivers than a relatively small monetary fine.

According to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland, uninsured drivers kill 20 people every year and seriously injure 2,000 others. The bureau says 100,000 drivers in Ireland are uninsured — that’s 6% of motorists on our roads. In most European states the equivalent figure is 2%.

Drink and speed are the great killers on our roads and anything that will reduce their impact is welcome.