Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have quoted so many figures all of which indicate to me only one thing, which is that the levels of intake of alcohol on the whole impairs driving and costs lives. It costs more lives at higher levels than it costs at lower levels. It still costs lives at lower levels and people should be disqualified at the lower levels. This is the fundamental disagreement we have. I want to disqualify these drivers with the lower levels of alcohol and the Deputies do not. That is the members' view and the fundamental disagreement about the Bill. Presumably this is why the Deputies are refusing to support the Bill and this is their right as democratically elected representatives.

Reference was made to statistics. We do sometimes quote 2008 to 2012 figures. They are very powerful statistics, especially the 38% figure we quoted a legendary number of times, but that figure is probably worse now that it was. We have quoted an enormous number of detailed figures in the Dáil and I will give some of them to the committee if it wants me to. During 2013 to 2018 a total of 381 road users died in road traffic accidents in the State. The 2013 to 2014 coroners' data captures 269 of these fatalities with 82 of these fatalities, or 30.5%, having alcohol present as a factor in the accident. Eight of the fatalities were in the 21 mg to 50 mg range. Six of the fatalities were in the 51 mg to 80 mg range. Four of the fatalities were in the 81 mg to 100 mg range. I put it to Deputy Troy that I do not like quoting these figures in that particularly inhuman way. I do not regard human beings as figures. We keep coming out with figures but every time we quote a figure in this regard we are speaking of a dead person. To save one life is enough, if we are sure of it, for legislation. We want to save that life. That is what we are about here.

The Deputies want to continually quote figures and they say we should be doing this, that or the other. I believe the Deputies should stop talking about figures and start talking about human beings. If we can show that one or two people will be saved by this legislation then it is good and it is enough. In time we will address every other issue also. Of the 82 fatalities where alcohol was a factor, 44% of the cases also had one or more drugs present; in 63% of these cases it was the driver, in 17% of the cases it was pedestrians and in 11% it was the passengers. The 38% figure from the pre-crash 2008 to 2012 study refers to fatal collisions; the 30% cited above refers to fatalities. I do not need any more convincing than that to know that this is a major and difficult problem, and that drink impairs driving and causes death.

I can quote statistics until the cows come home. I do not believe the Chairman wants me to.