Carnage on Irish roads - Random tests must be introduced

PUBLIC unease over the mounting carnage on Ireland’s roads will be heightened by Opposition claims that the Government is delaying the introduction of random breath testing for two years because of its close links with publicans.

Initially promised by former Transport Minister Seamus Brennan in 2003, the introduction of random breath testing has yet to materialise, even though it is a key recommendation of the Government’s 2004-2006 Road Safety Strategy and the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol.

However, a Labour Party amendment to the Road Traffic Bill, providing for random breath testing, was rejected by the Coalition. And last week, Transport Minister Martin Cullen told the Dáil there were