Alcohol a factor in 37% of road deaths - survey

Alcohol was a contributory factor in 37 per cent of all fatal crashes and a factor in 62 per cent of single-vehicle crashes in 2003, according to research released today.

The first-ever national study into the role of alcohol in fatal road crashes in Ireland was published to coincide with the launch of the Road Safety Authority's (RSA) 2006 Christmas anti-drink driving campaign.

Under the study guidelines, alcohol was considered a contributory factor in a crash if people had a blood alcohol level of greater than 20mg/100ml. The legal limit is 80mg/ml.

Dr Declan Bedford, once of the authors of the report, highlighted the fact that 30 per cent of deaths between 6am and 8am were alcohol-related, justifying, he said, random breath tests in the morning.

Alcohol-related fatal crashes are also three times more likely to occur on Saturday, Sunday or Monday than other days of the week.

Dr Bedford said although the 19- to 34-year-old age group was most at risk, 50 per cent of drivers killed in single-vehicle collisions where alcohol was a factor were over 30.

The study also found that that 90 per cent of drivers where alcohol was a contributory factor in a fatal crash were male.

Pedestrians were also at risk, and alcohol was considered a factor in 38 per cent of their deaths in 2003. They were five cases of pedestrians lying on the ground in the middle of road after a night out before being run over by a car.

"That's a serious indication of the way we drink in this country," Dr Bedford said.

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen called the reports findings "very disturbing".

He said gardaí are conducting over 30,000 mandatory breath tests on motorists each month and that he expected this to have a "significant impact" on driver behaviour.

The campaign, which involves both radio and television advertising, is designed to run with Garda anti-drink driving enforcement.