Government fudge drinking-driving crisis

It is expected that Bertie Ahern is set to agree to new drinking-driving measures that will be introduced in July. The Independent is reporting that these measures include “On-the-spot drink driving disqualifications. Drivers who opt to admit their offence will be spared the public humiliation of going to court.“

These radical measures will be announced tomorrow in the Road Traffic Bill.

Exactly what part of not allowing drunks to continue driving is radical? People who admit to drunk driving will be spared the embarassment of going to court? So our government is giving some sort of concessions to people who admit (in a drunken state presumably) to drink driving. The net effect of these measures only serve to negate the message depicted in the “Could you live with the shame?” TV adverts. Another part of this fessing up charade is that the driver will only receive a maximum driving ban of 6 months. How radical indeed.

Drink driving is somehow becoming accepted within the Fianna Fail ranks. Only a few months ago, Clare County Councillor Flan Garvey suggested that local people be given dispensation from the already wan rigours of our drink driving laws. According to the SB Post last January, Garvery said “said people who visit pubs as their only social outlet are familiar with local roads and drive more carefully and slowly, especially when they have had a few drinks.”

Now that’s radical.