Top cop reveals changing profile of drink drivers

For years the archetypal drunk driver was a middle aged male who would get caught after drinking a few pints following a trip out to get groceries.

However, Chief Superintendent Tom Curley said the latest drunk driving figures from 2014 showed the younger age profile of those apprehended at check points belied those “hard luck stories”.

“It used to be 50, 60, 70 years old … it used to be the local farmer going to the town for a shop and then having a pint or two,” he stated at this week’s Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting.

“But now the date of birth is ’91, ’92, ’93 – they’re not hard luck stories of having one or two drinks. Readings are up to 100mg – the limit is 15-20, so it’s substantial drinking involved.”

Last year there were 158 incidents of drunk driving recorded by Gardaí, down 28 or 15%.

There were 1,261 mandatory alcohol test checkpoints carried out – an increase of 36% with 9,829 breath tests performed – up by almost a quarter.

“On a weekly basis, we’re getting at least one drunk driver at a check point,” Chief Supt Curley told the meeting.

Checkpoints usually remained in place for 15-20 minutes before moving to a new location or they were ineffective due to people flashing or sending text messages or putting alerts out on Facebook.

Simon Comer of the pedestrian lobby group Cosáin said with less than eight motorists breath-tested per checkpoint, a case could be made for more breath tests in a city the size of Galway.

City Mayor Donal Lyons believed there was a knock-on effect from the increase in checkpoints and breath tests to a decrease in road fatalities – with none recorded in the city for 2014.

Cllr Niall McNelis said it was clear that alcohol remained the drug of choice for young people, however at one ball last week speed was on sale for €5 a tab.

“It’s pure muck. Ask anyone. It messes with these kids lives. They’ll be finished. They’ll never get a visa for working in the US and Canada.”

Cllr Frank Fahy, who works as a taxi driver, said during Rag Week the biggest problem was large numbers of students buying cheap alcohol in the supermarkets, drinking in estates and then in droves descending on the city.

“If you refuse to bring them in with bottles of alcohol, they’ll tell you in no uncertain terms where to go and hop in the next one. With the cooperation of taxi drivers we should refuse to bring people into the city with alcohol.”

The latest crime figures showed there were 1,061 public order offences, down by 13%, while assault causing harm was up two to 72 and minor assault was up by 33 to 216 – a jump of 18%.

The majority of the assaults were as a result of too much drink and drugs, Chief Supt Curley said.