Twenty years ago, my mother was killed in a car crash. A Ford Fiesta smashed like a coke can. The driver of the other car was drink-driving. I was ten when I shared an ambulance with him; he held his head in his hands. It was too late for regret. He should have thought about me, my dad, my brother, my sisters and, most importantly, my mother before he got behind the wheel. Since that night, I’ve known the dangers of drink-driving; it hurts me that some people don’t, it angers me that some of our Politicians can’t accept the risks. Mam was only 47.
Earlier this month, I was delighted to see Transport Minister Shane Ross’s new road traffic legislation pass after months of filibustering and incessant debate. The bill does not change the parameters for drink-driving in Ireland; it changes the penalty. Someone who is caught drink-driving will now be banned from driving for 3 months—the previous punishment was 3 penalty points.
When the voting result was read out a justified round of applause erupted from the house and groups in the gallery representing families of victims of road traffic accidents—the bill passed 75-8.
“This is a sad day for rural Ireland,” roared Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, after the result was announced. He, one of the 8 that voted no, must have little solace for the 158 people who lost their lives in road-related accidents last year. Indeed, what makes Danny Healy comments cruder is the fact that the number of road deaths increased in Kerry last year (8), in contrast to Ireland overall where the number of road death decreased.
Indeed, in 2017 Kerry saw a 9 per cent increase in drink-driving detections. And yet with all these factors, it was the tiresome Healy-Rae brothers, Danny and Michael, who gave their all to delay the passing of the bill. They claimed that they were representing the people of Kerry and all those who lived in rural communities across the country. Nonetheless, it seemed they lacked insight into the dangers that come with drink-driving. In truth, it’s hard not see a connection between their views and the fact that Danny himself is a pub owner.
What the rural Ireland TD’s who opposed the new law should recognise is that there are more road crashes in rural areas when compared to urban parts of Ireland. They should identify the risk rate this presents to residents in their constituencies. They should appeal for more sufficient public transport in rural areas. For those who, understandably, want a drink in rural Ireland, they should seek the government to provide incentives for pub owners in rural Ireland, like the Healy-Rae’s, to offer transport to and from their pubs.
But instead of properly trying to aid rural Ireland, Danny Healy-Rae farcically proposed in 2013 that people in rural Ireland be given permits to have 2 or 3 pints in their local pub and drive home. It is hard not to see this as an idea from someone who is more connected to the pubs in rural Ireland than the people–he’s more worried about pub earnings than a pub’s customers.
What those against the new punishment for drink-drivers, three-month driving ban, must recognise is that our neighbours, United Kingdom, have a much harsher sentence for drivers found over their limit (0.08% BAC or 0.05% BAC Scotland). Driving over the limit in the UK carries a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to £5,000 and a minimum twelve months’ disqualification.
Why I Support the new road traffic legislation
People’s views on drink-driving scare me. An average of 180 drivers were arrested per week in 2017 on suspicion of driving under the influence. That’s 180 people a week putting their lives, and the lives of others at risk–what’s more horrifying is the fact that many others weren’t caught.
The attitude towards drinking and driving is wrong. When it comes to drink-driving, the question always seems to be “Will I get caught?” Not am I breaking the law? Not am I making the roads more dangerous? Not could I crash? Some people seem to find the simple connection between drink-driving and road accidents too hard to make. Here’s a fact, alcohol is a factor in 38 per cent of fatal crashes in this country. And yet, Irish people continue to drink and drive.
Growing up, when a teen, I thought that drink-driving was something linked to Ireland’s older generations, that the more educated young had copped on to the dangers of drink-driving. Sadly, through friends and family, I realised my misjudgement.
A few years back, when I lived in a rural area, I saw a Facebook status announcing where the Gardai were stopping drivers on a nearby country road. I watched it get loads of likes. It enraged me and showed everything wrong with people’s opinions of road safety laws–they’re seen as a harsh punishment, not a precaution.
Nowadays, I live near a University and often find myself walking behind mobs of youthful students. One day, I overheard, a group of young males laugh ludicrously as one told the story of how a friend had driven home intoxicated from a night out. The aura of the conversation was the dangerous drink-driving was just “a bit of craic”. I felt like roaring out “he could have killed somebody” but I didn’t, and maybe that’s another problem, there is a fear of speaking out against these criminals. Yes, criminals are what drink-drivers are.
All the above is why I support Minister Ross’s new legislation. I see him as brave for there is no doubt some people in pubs, in both rural and urban Ireland, are spitting out expletives before his name. But the fact is 3 penalty points wasn’t a substantial enough punishment; 3 points was only a number for some.
I believe that the new three months off the road punishment for drink – drivers will lower the number of deaths on Irish roads. It will scare people away from drinking and driving. Yes, scare people who don’t see the perils of drink-driving, influence their actions even if it doesn’t change their view of drinking and driving.
And when the local Tommy is banned from driving for 3 months, I hope his local publican will see the importance of providing transport home for Tommy.
Finally, maybe the passing of the new road traffic legislation will make it easier to speak out against those who drink and drive. Give people like me the courage to inform, for example, a group of students laughing about a classmate’s drink-driving that their friend was an idiot who risked not only his life but more importantly the life of others, for instance, the life of a mother, a Mom.
