Convicted drink drivers may soon have to use breathalyser to get behind wheel
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Convicted drink drivers will only be allowed back on the roads if they use a device in which they must pass a breath test before their car will start, it has emerged.
The plans are part of phase two of a Government initiative to end drink driving for good and bring down fatal road accidents rates. Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien will soon bring a memo to Cabinet on the Phase 2 Action Plan for the Road Safety Strategy.
The draft memo stated that the strategy has the "target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030" and to achieve 'Vision Zero', or as close as possible to no deaths or serious injuries, on Irish roads by 2050, reports the Irish Mirror. The Strategy is divided into three phases: 2021 to 2024, 2025 to 2027 and 2028 to 2030.
The plan that will be brought to Cabinet by Minister O'Brien is phase two of the strategy. The draft report is divided into seven "priority intervention areas," including safe and healthy modes of travel, safe roads and roadsides, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe road use, safe-work-related road use and "post-crash response".
One action, listed under both safe road use and safe-work related road use, suggests introducing more penalties for those who are caught drink driving. This includes the use of Alcohol Ignition Interlocks, a breathalyser fitted to a vehicle preventing it from starting until the driver provides a breath sample below a designated limit.
It continues: "The MBRS (Medical Bureau of Road Safety) tested and approved a number of interlock products in phase one of the strategy, to support the voluntary uptake of these devices, particularly by organisations with large vehicle fleets. In phase two, proposals will be brought forward, based on expert medical research, for the possible mandatory use of alcohol interlocks, alongside rehabilitation courses, as a sanction for drunk driving in certain cases."
The report suggests that this will "lay the groundwork for further action on their deployment in phase three", which will span between 2028 and 2030. As of June 19, there have been 77 people killed on Irish roads so far this year.
According to the report, if Ireland wants to reach Vision Zero by 2050, annual road fatalities would need to drop to 72 by 2030. There were 172 road deaths last year, which is above the target of 122 to meet Vision Zero.
Other actions in the plan include expanding the "efficiency and capability of camera-based enforcement to improve road safety by changing driver behaviour". This will involve using cameras to "automatically detect mobile phone use and non-wearing of seat belts".
It will also expand "the use of cameras for traffic management improvements and enforcement of other offences where road safety is likely to also benefit". Following the Speed Limit Review in 2023, the report recommends continuing with its implementation, including reducing the default speed limit on national secondary roads from 100kph to 80kph and bylaws to extend the number of 30kph zones.
The Department of Transport will publish a strategy to take a "systems approach" to reducing kilometres travelled, air pollution and congestion. The RSA will be tasked with publishing the Road Collision Facts every two years and reviewing the content of the Rules of the Road.
It will also analyse hospital discharge records to "quantify the number of road users hospitalised following road traffic collision" and the number sustaining serious injuries.
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