merrion street

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has confirmed that major new road safety measures come into force today for mandatory breath testing.

From today, Gardaí will be required to conduct a preliminary breath test where they believe a driver has consumed alcohol, or at the scene of a crash where someone has been injured and requires medical attention.

The new measures have been brought in through the Road Traffic Act (2011), the first piece of legislation under this Government to be signed into law by the President.

Minister Varadkar said today:

I am very pleased to confirm that it will be mandatory for Gardaí to conduct breath tests at the scene of a collision where someone has been injured and requires medical attention. This is a very welcome development which I hope will make a significant contribution to road safety.

Minister Varadkar said his Department is also considering further road safety measures which he hopes to introduce in the near future. Some of these include:

· A hazard perception test for the driving test, currently being considered by the Road Safety Authority;

· An expert group is examining the possibility of expanding sentencing options available to the courts for driving offences;

· Proposals are currently being finalised for the roll-out of more of the agreed penalty point offences.

Read the full press release here.