Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, may be included among the drugs tested for at roadside checkpoints.
Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney has confirmed his department is considering adding nitrous oxide to the substances drivers will be tested for when stopped by gardaí.
There were 190 road deaths last year, the highest annual number of fatalities since 2014. The Minister, who has responsibility for road safety, said the deaths were “a sobering call to action for all of us to do more to make our roads safer”.
“Reducing deaths and serious injuries is an all-of-society challenge,” he said.
READ MORE
Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward highlighted the growing problem of “ever changing” substances motorists are taking.
The Dublin Mid-West TD said there have been a number of road deaths across the European Union associated with driving under the influence of nitrous oxide.
Currently the range of substances tested for by gardaí includes amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, methadone and opiates.
Nitrous oxide is not a prohibited substance and is commonly used in catering for producing whipped cream. A colourless gas, it is also used as a painkiller in dentistry and in childbirth.
In recreational use it is inhaled from balloons filled from canisters or from smaller capsules known as “silver bullets”. It is sold cheaply on the internet.
EU legislation on nitrous oxide is to be introduced in February 2027 but Mr Ward has said Ireland should not wait that long.
He has drafted legislation which he will introduce in the Dáil next week. It requires sellers to have a licence, and allow purchases only by an approved list of buyers.
The TD said he had asked a parliamentary question about including nitrous oxide for roadside testing but that the Minister’s initial response was that he had no plans to do so.
However, Mr Canney said, he had not seen the reply going out and “absolutely, it is being considered”.
He acknowledged nitrous oxide as a problem and said driving under the influence of drugs was a big cause of collisions.
“There are many issues we have to deal with, but the Road Traffic Act is looking at all of these to consolidate what we can into more relevant legislation to deal with the challenges we have.”
