Mr. Donall O'Keeffe:

The Licensed Vintners Association, LVA, is the representative organisation for the publicans of Dublin. We have 600 members who represent 80% of the pubs in our capital city. Collectively, our members sell almost 30% of all the alcohol in the Irish on-trade and employ more than 12,000 staff. We thank the committee for the opportunity to address it on this important topic.

The LVA fully appreciates the dangers of drink-driving and welcomes the fact the overwhelming majority of the driving public uphold the law of the land in this regard. The association obviously does not condone drink-driving and recognises that it is a matter for each individual to make their personal arrangements to uphold the law in this regard. We recognise that Dublin is particularly well served by both public transport and taxi availability. Our members ensure they are informed of the late night public transport schedules, including Dublin Bus, Luas and DART, in order that they can advise customers on options. Furthermore, the majority of our members have arrangements in place with local taxi companies to provide speedy access to taxis at peak times. We also appreciate that, across Dublin, many customers live within walking distance of their local pubs. Street lighting and public footpaths make this a safe option for many.

The LVA believes that the current drink-driving limits and related penalties are appropriate. Conviction of drink-driving offences rightly brings severe sanction. The current penalties are severe enough to provide a significant deterrent and reinforce the view that drink-driving is unacceptable. The LVA welcomes the fact the proposed Bill plans to maintain the current drink-driving limit of 50 mg. RSA statistics show that 80% of the car and motorcycle accidents involved drivers who were over twice the legal limit. It seems obvious to us that regulatory and enforcement measures should be targeted at this cohort. In addition, other factors such as speed, drugs, mobile phone use, dangerous driver behaviour, fatigue, vehicle condition and road conditions play significant roles in road fatalities.

There are three obvious routes to pursue to reduce the level of drink-driving in Ireland. First is a study as to why the incidence of drink-driving among young drivers appears to be increasing, noting it was previously on a long-term downward trend. Second is an enhanced, longer-term public awareness and education campaign on the dangers of drink-driving, especially targeted at those segments of the public more likely to engage in drink-driving. Third is a consistent, high-profile Garda enforcement of the current limits. These measures, appropriately resourced and implemented consistently over the longer term, are the most effective means of reducing drink-driving.