Ireland Takes Step To OK Drunk-Driving?

Regardless of the truth that drunk-driving is proven to be a dangerous exercise, Garda (police) authorities in Ireland's Kerry county may soon let reasonable drunkenness slide. A ballot motion before the national Department of Justice, if approved, will allow drunk-driving, so long as the driver is only "moderately drunk." Kerry county legislators in southwest Ireland have already authorized the measure by a vote of 5 to 3, with 12 absent.

Okay to be just a little drunk

Drivers in rural Kerry county who are found to have more than the lawful amount of alcohol in their system will be given a pass, according to motion author Councilor Danny Healy-Rae. Healy-Rae supposedly drafted the legislation with older rural residents in mind who will become isolated at home and suffer depression if they have to fear losing their driver's license over "two or three drinks."

"I see the merit in having a stricter rule of law for when there's a massive volume of traffic and where there's busy roads with massive speed," Healy-Rae told Irish newspaper The Journal. "But on the roads I'm talking about, you couldn't do any more than 20 or 30 miles per hour and it's not a big deal. I don't see any big issue with it."

Whiskey keeps people alive

Isolation in rural Kerry region villages is apparently a significant problem. Healy-Rae point to the tragedy of losing members of the older generation to suicide, as the lack of freedom from not being able to drive due to downing a couple of pints are reportedly crushing.

"All the wisdom and all the wit and all the culture that they had is being lost as a result," he said.

Not a great plan to some

According to Kerry Mayor Terry O'Brien, the law does not make any sense and is a very dangerous thing to even consider. He believes that people need to keep away from being severely impaired, which takes place when there is too much drinking. He does not approve of the regulation.

"I don't know what expertise one would have to look at someone in a bar to give them a permit to drive a car after any alcohol," O'Brien added.

There has been a 42 percent decrease in Ireland's road deaths during the last four years due to drunk-driving laws. All that would be undone with a new law allowing it, according to Alcohol Action Ireland rep Conor Cullen.

"Almost one in three crash deaths in Ireland are alcohol-related," Cullen said. "Even in small amounts, alcohol impairs driving ability - any amount of alcohol increases the risk of involvement in a fatal crash."