Councillors in Ireland ‘s county Kerry are supporting a plan
to relax the laws on drink driving for its isolated residents.
Councillor Danny Healy-Rae, who
proposed the motion, said it would only apply to older people who are often
home alone and falling into a state of depression. He believes current
legislation is trapping the elderly in their own homes unable to go out and socialise
due to the remote areas in which they live.
If successful the scheme would allow
police to issue permits overriding the legal limit.
-
However the move was condemned by the
mayor of Kerry, who called it a dangerous proposition. “I don't know how anybody
can be allowed to say, you've had two pints, so you're justified to drive.”
Conor Cullen of Alcohol Action Ireland told reporters at the BBC that almost one in three crash deaths in the country
is alcohol-related. “Even in small amounts, alcohol impairs driving ability -
any amount of alcohol increases the risk of involvement in a fatal crash. Those
in rural areas who may be suffering from isolation will not benefit from
putting their lives and the lives of the other members of their community at risk
by drinking and driving.”
Drivers in Ireland are currently
limited to a maximum of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The UK’s however
limits its road users to 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
No comments:
Post a Comment