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PARC welcomes mandatory breath
testing
06.02.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen
Independent
The founder or Irish road safety pressure group PARC
has described as ‘significant’ and ‘a step in the
right direction’ towards the goal of making
breathalysing mandatory at the scene of all road
traffic accidents, a submission made from Noel Brett
CEO Road Safety Authority at Joint Committee on
Transport at Oireachtas last week.
“We wrote to all members of the Oireachtas in
December asking them to support the Road Traffic and
Transport Bill 2008 which includes comprehensive
testing at collisions scenes and lowering of our
drink drive limit and asked them to reply to us. We
have received many positive replies. Under the Road
Safety Strategy 2007-2012, new limits are supposed
to be in place by the end of June,” said Mrs Gray. |
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The following is the
submission from Mr Brett. “The Road Safety Authority
supports the introduction of mandatory testing of
all drivers involved in collisions. We are of the
view that this will be a matter of significant
general deterrence. Under a mandatory testing
regime, anyone involved in a collision would,
regardless of whether they caused it, run the risk
of being breathalysed and, if they are over the
drink-drive limit, prosecuted. This would act as a
major deterrent in the context of preventing people
from driving after imbibing alcohol or taking
drugs.” |
Welcoming the
development, Mrs Gray said now was the time for a
final push towards getting an actual bill written
into law.
“We in PARC welcome this new development which
brings us one step closer to compulsory testing of
all drivers involved in collisions and lowering of
our drink drive limit. It is very heartening to have
the backing of the Road Safety Authority and we are
confident that we will see the new legislation put
in place soon. We now need to see the Bill brought
before the Dail and Seanad for voting-without any
further delays. It will save lives and bring closure
for many families.” |
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