Drink-driving campaign - Gardaí must rigorously enforce law

PICTURE the scene tonight as the roads of Ireland become killing fields with hundreds of drunk drivers setting out from pubs and clubs around the country, transforming the family car into a lethal weapon.

So entrenched is drink driving in the Irish psyche, the same scene was enacted last night. And, in spite of yesterday’s launch of the annual Christmas drink-driving blitz, it is sure to happen again this weekend.

At the launch, gardaí recounted arresting drivers so drunk they could not pronounce their own names. The grim reality is that four out of ten road deaths are caused by drink driving and the culprits are invariably men.

Ironically, when they are sober, drink drivers become invisible members of the community, oblivious to the hypocrisy of going to the funerals of accident victims.

Even more perverse is the fact that serious offenders are usually well-known but remain unidentified due to a misplaced sense of loyalty. Hopefully, this nod-and-wink shroud of secrecy will now be lifted as gardaí prepare to target people who have a reputation as dangerous drink drivers.

According to new research, almost half those killed in crashes in Cavan, Louth and Monaghan in 2001 and 2002 had alcohol in their system. Out of 55 drivers, passengers and pedestrians killed on roads in the three Border counties, 22, or 40% had alcohol in their blood samples. Significantly, all the drivers found with alcohol in their blood were male.

As Eddie Shaw, chairman of the National Safety Council (NSC) succinctly put it, the disturbing results prove the country has a chronic problem with anti-social behaviour - much of it alcohol-fuelled.

Aptly, Transport Minister Martin Cullen describes drink drivers as playing Russian roulette with their own lives and the lives of others. It is moot whether attitudes are improving, as the minister suggests, but he rightly emphasises that there is no excuse for getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol.

Though young people have been involved in some of the most horrendous accidents, especially in the early hours, they generally adopt a highly responsible and mature attitude towards drinking and driving. Indeed, older generations could take a lead from young people who normally will not drink any alcohol at all if they are driving.

According to the NSC research, an overwhelming majority of Irish people want tougher enforcement to reduce the catastrophic loss of life caused by drink driving. Tragically, with 334 people killed so far on the roads this year, the annual death toll is set to exceed last year’s carnage.

There was a sense of déjà vu about yesterday’s warning that drunk drivers will have no place to hide this Christmas and New Year. Motorists have heard it all before.

Despite the rising death toll, garda statistics show a marked fall in drink-driving arrests and convictions. Last year, for example, the gardaí arrested 11,344 offenders as against 13,441 the previous year. And the courts convicted 3,060 drink drivers last year compared to 5,212 in 2002.

This means only one in four arrested drivers were convicted. The inference is that policing of drink driving is down and also that the courts are handing out fewer convictions.

Hopefully, drivers will heed Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey’s warning that gardaí will now target those with a reputation for endangering people’s lives in this way. But it is crucial to follow through on that threat.

Furthermore, policing of the penalty points system must be redoubled. Otherwise, a law that could save lives will lose credibility in the eyes of motorists.