1966 - A Year of Change

Unipower 1966 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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It wasn’t until 1966 that drivers became subject to the laws of drink driving. With the introduction of the new Road Safety Bill at the start of the year, vehicle owners were capped from driving if there was 80mg of alcohol in 100cc of their blood. This was calculated through a urine test. The enforcement was part of the government's wider campaign to remind people to take more care on the roads and be mindful of the safety of nearby pedestrians. It took another year for the breathalyser test to come into force giving police the means to discern data from a suspect there and then at the roadside. The imitative helped decrease the percentage of road traffic accidents where alcohol had been a factor from 25% to 15% in the first year. There were 1,152 fewer recorded deaths, 11,177 fewer serious injuries and 28,130 fewer slight injuries caused by road traffic accidents.

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Kerry's Bid to Water-Down the Law

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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.

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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.

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