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HomeFarming NewsNew drink-driving legislation has had the most influence in rural areas
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New drink-driving legislation has had the most influence in rural areas

A national survey conducted by Drinkaware, the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse, has shown that new drink-driving legislation has had the most influence in rural areas.

The national representative survey was conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes with 1,000 adults on behalf of Drinkaware to identify any changes they had made to their driving behaviour.

The survey was conducted between January and June 2019, three months after the legislation came into effect.

New legislation

The updated Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, in effect since October 2018, increased the penalty for drivers detected with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) between 50mg and 80mg to three months disqualification from driving plus a €200 fine.

Changing behaviour

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Drivers reported taking the following actions, with rural dwellers more likely to report a positive change:

  • 22% switched to non-alcoholic beer so they could drive home that night or the next morning (16% among adults in urban areas);
  • 50% used alternative transport rather than drive on a night out (46% urban);
  • 36% cut down on drinking when they planned to drive the next morning (46% urban).

Commenting on the research, Sheena Horgan, Drinkaware CEO said: “As a proud supporter of the collective campaign to introduce new drink driving provisions of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, we are encouraged by our research which indicates that the updated legislation appears to be having the desired effect.

Personal-use breathalysers

The research also found that 64% of Irish adults believe there should be an official breathalyser for personal use.

“People contact Drinkaware every day with queries about alcohol and driving, in particular, when it is safe to drive the morning after and for information on breathalysers for personal use.”

“Consumers need to be mindful that most off-the-shelf breathalysers are not developed using the same medical and safety technology standards as those used by officials like the Gardaí.”

“While they can be useful for information purposes, the results should not be taken as a clear indication that you are under the limit.” she added. 

St. Patrick’s Day

The Drinkaware CEO concluded by saying: “While it’s clear that drink driving remains an issue, we are encouraged to see drivers making positive changes to help keep our roads safe.”

“Ahead of St Patrick’s Day celebrations in communities across the country, we encourage everyone to get the facts on the limits, the law and the penalties for drink driving, and the consequences when someone chooses to ignore the wealth of information that’s out there,” Horgan concluded.

Information

For more information on legal limits, the law and the penalties for drink driving, click here.

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