Drink Drivers Face Automatic Disqualification
Drink drivers face automatic disqualification as recent new laws came into effect.
In the previous law, a concession was made in the legislation by which some drink drivers received penalty points instead of being disqualified but this has now changed.
Drink-drivers will automatically be banned from driving for three months when they are caught.
The Minister for Transport, Shane Ross announced that the drink-driving provisions of the Road Traffic Act would be effective imminently in the Dáil.
The new law means that all drink drivers, without exception, will receive a driving disqualification for three months if they are caught.
Shane Ross said it marked a significant step in clamping down on the practice, adding that there were “few more irresponsible and dangerous things people can do” than drink driving.
“It was always wrong to give people the mild slap on the wrist of three penalty points for such potentially lethal behaviour, and it is great satisfaction to know that in future people who behave this way will face a disqualification from driving for three months,”
In a statement on the introduction of the new legislation, Moyagh Murdock of the Road Safety Authority said that alcohol consumption amongst road users was still a substantial problem in Ireland, pointing to statistics which showed that drink is a factor in 39% of driver fatalities.
She said the introduction of the new law sent out a “clear signal” that drink driving is something that is no longer acceptable or tolerable.
She went on to point out that the changes would save lives, prevent injuries and assist the Government’s road safety strategy target of reducing deaths to 124 or fewer annually by the end of 2020.
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