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[Article] Drink-drive blitz hits home as road deaths fall

18-10-2006 5:12pm

#1

Victor

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Drink-drive blitz hits home as road deaths fall
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 18th October, 2006

ROAD deaths are falling in tandem with the spiral in drink-drive arrests, thanks to the introduction of random breath testing.

The measure, introduced less than three months ago, is linked to the saving of up to 39 lives at a cost of more than €90m, the Irish Independent has learned.

An unpublished official Garda report also reveals that drink-driving arrests have risen since random testing came in last July.

There was a 51pc hike in August and 71pc in September and to date in October. A total of 411 motorists were arrested for drink-driving offences last week.

This figure is significantly higher than the average number of weekly drink-driving arrests during the first six months of this year.

The shocking number of arrests last week dwarfs the notoriously busy Christmas period last year when gardai collared 324 motorists in an average week.

Many of those arrested were stopped and breathalysed early in the morning.

The day before random breath testing was introduced road deaths were up 20 on the previous year.

Today there is a drop of 19 on last year, showing that up to 39 people may owe their lives to the initiative.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) puts a cost of €2.4m on each life lost. This includes insurance, medical expenses, lost labour and a range of other costs.

The latest drink-driving figures reveal:

* Last month 1,602 drink drivers were arrested, compared to only 935 the previous September.

* In August last year just 976 were nabbed; this rose to 1,480 this August.

* Between January and September this year a total of 11,552 motorists were arrested for drink driving offences. This compares with just 8,639 in the same period last year.

Thousands of daily random breath checks have instilled fear into drivers.

Tests mounted at all hours of the day and night at weekends are forcing tipplers to stay at home or run the high risk of detection. Pub trade in rural areas has been affected as a result, it was also learned. The recent figures further reveal that the number of crashes on our roads are down by some 25 on last year's statistics.

An alarming total of 84 people were killed in 78 single-vehicle accidents.

Publicans are being urged to negotiate deals with hackney and taxi operators to provide customers with safe transport home. Gardai are warning motorists that they remain committed to tackling drink-driving. A breakdown of the official Garda figures reveal the grim toll of 291 people killed on our roads; 135 drivers (46.4pc), 69 passengers (23.7pc), 27 motorcyclists and one pillion passenger (9.6pc), 51 pedestrians (17.5pc) and one cyclist.

Chief Supt John Farrelly, of the Garda Traffic Corps, said yesterday that motorists would continue to encounter "thousands of random drink driving checkpoints every hour of the day and night."

"We're determined to keep this up," he added.

Treacy Hogan

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