Letters to the Editor: Road safety aspect of Sale of Alcohol Bill

Readers consider issues ranging from road safety to arson attacks on refugee centres

The steep rise in deaths on the roads is appalling, but why is the Government proposing to increase alcohol trading hours, asks one reader.

The steep rise in deaths on the roads is appalling and clearly needs a strong response. But why is the Government proposing to increase alcohol trading hours through Minister Helen McEntee’s Sale of Alcohol Bill?

Of driver fatalities in Ireland, 37% have a positive toxicology for alcohol. 71% of these fatalities occurred on rural roads. Findings from a 2020 systematic review concluded that there was an association between increased trading hours and drink driving. Recent in-depth analysis in Norway has demonstrated up to a 30% increase in collisions in rural areas in Norway for a one-hour extension.