Over 20% admit to drinking and driving

More than one-in-five people said they had driven a car after having one or more drinks during the Christmas season, according to a new survey.

The Behaviour & Attitudes poll was carried out for Meas, the drinks industry initiative for promoting responsible drink- ing.

It found that 70 per cent of people would welcome random breath testing of motorists. Those who did not "strongly support" it were more likely to be men and younger adults.

Some 86 per cent of people surveyed said they strongly believed that individuals must take more responsibility in relation to drinking and driving.

However, 70 per cent said rural transport services were inadequate to facilitate those who wanted to avoid drinking and driving.

The findings were welcomed by Fionnuala Sheehan, chief executive of Meas.

"Given the appalling and ongoing carnage on our roads, we must do everything possible to tackle the problem. I believe that the strong public support for random Garda breath testing is very encouraging," she said.

She highlighted the increase in reports of driving while under the influence of drugs and said this had been identified as "a very serious and growing problem in other jurisdictions . . . Testing drivers for illicit and prescribed drugs, as well as testing for alcohol, must be part of a more comprehensive random testing initiative in Ireland".