Gardaí are to be given new powers to breathalyse drivers as part of the Christmas anti-drink driving campaign.
A form of random breath testing is to be introduced before Christmas. Under the new rules gardaí will be able to demand a breath test from any motorists they suspect of committing any of the wide-ranging number of traffic offences, such as double parking or driving a vehicle with a faulty indicator.
At present a garda must form a legal view that a motorist is over the legal limit. This then has to be proven in court, which has previously been open to legal challenge.
Although gardaí will not be able to set up checkpoints for random breath testing yet, the new regulations will allow gardaí to demand a breath test from any motorist they believe may have committed an offence under the wide-ranging Road Traffic Acts.
The Minister for Transport will sign the new rules into law before Christmas, and will launch this year's National Safety Council campaign tomorrow.
In an interview with Motors, Mr Brennan said he plans to introduce random test checkpoints next year. This will form part of the new Road Traffic Bill.
The new rules will be strengthened by a High Court decision earlier this month to dismiss a legal challenge to the intoximeter, used to test breath for alcohol in those suspected of drink-driving.
According to figures from the National Safety Council, about 230 drivers are arrested each week on suspicion of drink-driving, and while 91 per cent were over the limit, an astonishing 51 per cent were more than twice the legal limit.
The Minister also said he has no immediate plans to reduce the drink-drive blood alcohol limit to 50 mg from the current 80 mg.
According to Mr Brennan: "I'm told by all the authorities that most offenders caught drink driving are well over the legal limit. The numbers caught between 0.5 and 0.8 are minuscule, so it's not as urgent as random testing, but we will eventually bring it into line with the rest of Europe."
In a wide-ranging interview with Motors, Mr Brennan also spells out plans to ban handheld mobile phones, introduce compulsory training for all motorists and dismisses claims that his policies are merely reactive:
"My critics have said that I'm making decisions here, there and everywhere, and where's the grand plan? I would say to them that every decision I have taken has to be and is within the context of a broader a broader vision. It mightn't appear like there's any great philosophy in what I'm doing, but they're all based on the four things I believe in doing: making the investment, getting the competition, reforming the systems, and making things happen.
"You don't need to be a major consultant to see what needs doing here: you have to build the motorways, have to fill in the national roads, invest in the next stage of public transport, improve carriages and rolling stock, liberalise the bus transport system and continue to enforce the road safety agenda. The agenda is actually quite simple."