Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

General Scheme of Road Traffic (Fixed Penalty - Drink Driving) Bill 2017: Discussion (Resumed)

1:40 pm

Mr. Padraig Cribben:

Unfortunately, those who are going to drink and drive will do it regardless. That is the reality. The report shows that of those who were caught with higher levels, drink-driving was not the only factor. It was the state of the cars, the presence or lack of insurance, etc. A cohort of people have a healthy disregard for the law, not just in this respect, but across the board.

The chance of getting caught the morning after may discourage people. Most of those in that bracket are caught unwittingly. They are trying to be compliant, so this legislation is targeting the wrong people and disregards the more severe penalties that are required for those who are causing the problems.