Good morning ladies and gentleman. I am delighted to be able to make this address at the Road Safety Authority International Conference. Today we are going to hear from top-level experts from home and abroad, offering their expertise and insights into tackling the problem of drink-driving.
What I would like to outline to you today is the efforts that my department and I are taking in conjunction with the RSA on reducing road traffic collisions as a result of drivers under the influence of alcohol.
This year marks the mid-point of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy. The Strategy has set out targets of reducing road fatalities to below 120 deaths annually. Ireland has made huge progress in recent years and now has one of the best road safety records in the EU. However, last year we lost 188 people on our roads, something we shouldn’t tolerate if we are to call ourselves a civilised society. We must do whatever we can to reduce the number of people being killed.
Drink-driving in this country remains a significant problem. That is why I brought the Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty-Drink Driving) Bill 2017 before the Oireachtas, which proposes that anyone detected driving over the legal limit will receive a mandatory disqualification from driving. This Bill is based on scientific research, addressing drink driving at lower limits. This is essential legislation, designed to save lives. Consequently, I am at a loss to understand how the legislation has been delayed, deep in the dungeons of Leinster House in the hands of an Oireachtas Committee, for three months.
The Committee appears to be in no hurry. Hopefully, none of its members have been unduly influenced by the assertions it heard from the Publicans’ lobby, the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, as the Bill languishing in the Committee for three months, lives are being lost on the road.
I look forward to hearing the insights of the international speakers on how they have sought to tackle the scourge of drink driving in their jurisdictions, in particular the penalties they have in place, which I understand in Sweden and Queensland are far stricter than anything we have in place or are proposing under my new Bill.
I must reiterate that the new legislation will not change the current drink-driving blood-alcohol limit. What are being changed are the consequences for drivers detected drink-driving at lower levels. This is simply about ensuring proper consequences when people drive while over the existing limits. To change behaviours, we need stricter consequences.
Currently those caught can just pay a fine, take three penalty points and get back into their cars. It’s a clear signal that we’re not really that serious about drink driving. This Bill will ensure that all those detected driving over the legal limit will receive a mandatory disqualification from driving.
The proposed changes of course will not be a magic wand. Drink driving is not the only problem in road safety. There’s also speed, use of mobile phones, the reluctance to wear seat belts and, increasingly, driving under the influence of drugs. But alcohol is a factor in 38% of fatal crashes. 38%. Let me tell you what the facts say:
Between 2008 and 2012, 35 people were killed in crashes where drivers/motorcyclists had a recorded BAC level of between 21 and 80mg (and were deemed culpable due to alcohol being a contributory factor). This means that 7-8 people, on average, were killed per year over this period at lower alcohol levels. The culpable party was not a pedestrian nor the passenger but a driver with a BAC at the lower alcohol levels.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee is currently scrutinising the Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty-Drink Driving) Bill and I would like to compliment them on the work they are doing. However I would urge the Committee in concluding its pre legislative scrutiny of this Bill that they accept the independent evidence that supports it, they accept the integrity of the RSA’s work in making Irish roads safer but most importantly that they move this Bill forward and help reduce road tragedies.
This is such an important issue and we have to get the message across to everyone driving on our roads. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this important conference and welcome the guest speakers, especially those that have travelled afar, and to thank them for