Ms Moyagh Murdock:

We have 100% confidence in the figures in our files. There is no ambiguity about them. They are independently reviewed by professional researchers. They include all of the statements and reports from a multitude of experts, coroners, medical professionals, hospitals, forensic collision investigators and gardaí. This is not something that is left to chance.

Regarding the continuing increase in the number of people drinking and driving, Ireland has an issue with its relationship between alcohol and driving as well as with alcohol generally in society. As a society, our relationship with alcohol needs to be addressed. It spills onto the roads.

The Senator asked whether the battle was a lost cause. Absolutely not. We are still punching above our weight in terms of European performance on road safety, but we must emulate countries like Sweden and the UK, which have lower levels of drink driving. There is no reason that we cannot change attitudes and behaviours. Ireland has been successful in other areas of society. For example, we have been tremendously accepting of the smoking ban. No one would contemplate lighting up in a pub now, yet there is not the same stigmatisation of drinking before heading off to the car. However, I fully believe that we will get there with the correct measures. We can make inroads. In line with typical years, 60 to 70 people were involved in alcohol-related crashes in 2016. If we can make even a 20% or 30% dent in that and bring our 38% alcohol-related crash rate down to something more akin to the level of the UK and Sweden, which is 14%, we will potentially save lives. We can and will do that.

We have a chart with us that we would be happy to share with the committee on the interventions of the past 15 years. It tracks from when we introduced mandatory alcohol checkpoints to when we lowered the level from 80 mg to 50 mg as well as the various interventions in road safety that have resulted in Ireland moving from languishing in the middle of the EU 28 to being in the top 5% to 8%. We will strive to improve on that year on year and can do so with the help of the Oireachtas.

An increase can be disheartening. To date this year, 59 people have been killed on our roads. That is still too many, but it is ten fewer than last year. The debate in itself and the focus on road safety are having an effect and changing behaviours. We need to get this over the line and make further improvements.

The vintners are no shrinking violets. As they alluded to lies and liars, they are well able to stand up for themselves. They are not getting a hard deal. They are a vested interest which represents a small cohort of pub owners and publicans in the drinks industry. The Road Safety Authority represents all road users, men, women and children, and all of Ireland, not only rural Ireland. Figures show that 81% of car crashes occur in rural Ireland and that 92% involve male drivers. We have a responsibility to make the roads safe for all road users, not some of them. People in rural Ireland are as entitled to safe roads as those in urban areas.

The bigger issue of rural isolation should not be considered a consequence of being afraid to drink and drive. Many older people are afraid to drive at night because it is dark or they have lost confidence. A complex range of other issues need to be dealt with in terms of rural transport. The issue should not be concentrated on drink driving. That is disingenuous to the people who do not drink. Many people in rural areas, including many farmers, do not drink. We do not have representation for a cohort of people. The RSA seeks to ensure we represent all road users and, for that reason, we hope to get the Bill across the line.

The Deputy asked about support for the Bill. The survey to which I referred was in-depth and the demographics covered a cross-section of the country. It was carried out across all four provinces. The level of support for a mandatory ban in urban Ireland was 89%, but in rural Ireland, including Munster, it was 93%. There was, therefore, a higher level of support in rural areas for a mandatory ban, which some people may find surprising. Our survey of 1,000 people was very in-depth and involved face-to-face questioning. It was not anonymous; it involved asking a series of questions about support for a mandatory ban, for how long a ban should apply and whether the respondent condoned having a drink before driving. It is worrying that 25% of the people we surveyed admitted to having taken a drink before driving. We have different surveys in which the number of people who admit to having taken a drink before driving varies. That arises whenever there are confusing messages being sent that it is okay to drink at certain levels and that even if people are caught, they will get away with a small fine and a penalty points offence. This message can lead to bad judgment, with people drifting into a higher level of consumption. Once a person starts, judgment is affected. Drinking to blood alcohol levels of between 50 mg and 80 mg is tacit acceptance of higher drink driving levels and more concentrated alcohol in the system.