Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Cribben. Something that has been missed in the debate on young people is that the goalposts have shifted for a lot of young drivers in that since October 2010, novice drivers, learner drivers and professional drivers have a limit of 20 mg compared with 50 mg for other drivers. Prior to that the limit was far higher and the lower limit must be factored into the debate as well.

I met a professional driver at the weekend and we were discussing the previous week. I told him about the legislation. He was not aware that his limit was lower than mine, as a non-specified driver. Many people do not know the limits that apply to them, and even if they do, they do not know how alcohol intake is related to the limit. There must be education on those issues because there is still a perception that 50 mg is a pint and a bit or that 20 mg corresponds to a bottle. It is very different for everybody but the amount of misinformation out there is a factor in the debate.

We spoke earlier about enforcement. The joint lowest year for fatalities on roads since records began was 2012 and that year also had the highest number of fixed penalty notices for the 51 mg to 80 mg cohort of drivers. The same year also had the highest number of arrests for suspected drink-driving. I do not think that is a coincidence. I do not think there is a correlation between fixed-penalty notices and fatalities because we have seen those figures fluctuate in recent years. There does not seem to be a trend, as such, but the highest number of arrests is reflective of a high level of enforcement and presence on the ground and that is something we need to see increased. Do vintners recognise international studies that show that any alcohol impairs driving?