Changes could be coming.
Transport Minister Shane Ross will propose new laws to the Cabinet this afternoon and his top priority is to eradicate drink driving on Irish roads. Rather than incur penalty points, one of the newly proposed laws will see drink driving offenders instantly being disqualified from driving.
After discovering that 22% of those convicted of drink driving were found to be four times over the legal blood/alcohol limit, Minster Ross is expected tell the Transport Committee that he sees the current legislation as too lenient, particularly with regards to those first-time offenders that might not consider this to be a serious crime.
It’s expected that Minister Ross will also propose mandatory disqualification for any other motorist that’s caught under the influence of alcohol while behind the wheel.
Other legislation that’s intended to increase safety on Irish roads include; mandatory alcohol testing at roadside checkpoints and an increase in the information that’s shared regarding the cross-border exchange of vehicle registration and driver data.
There are also plans to establish a database of disqualified drivers.
