Lower drink-drive limit should be a priority
This study found that alcohol was present in 31% of all fatal road traffic accidents. Furthermore, 36.3% of killed drivers had a blood alcohol level of greater than 20mg/100ml.
Other international studies have shown alcohol is a significant factor in road traffic crashes whereby drivers at the legal limit (80mg/100ml) pose a risk at least 15 times greater than sober drivers. The relative risk of a drink-drive accident increases significantly after 50mg/100ml and several countries have reported studies indicating that lowering the blood alcohol content limit from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml reduces alcohol-related fatalities.
While the study acknowledged that alcohol may not have been the only factor involved in fatal road traffic accidents, where it had been consumed, nevertheless, alcohol was one of the factors that could be reduced or eliminated with the introduction of a lower blood alcohol concentration level for drivers.
Ireland, Britain and Malta are the only EU countries that still have the 80mg/100ml limit and the introduction of a reduced blood aclohol level should be made a priority.
Anne O’Farrell
Department of Public Health and Primary Care
Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences
Tallaght
Dublin 24