PARC your car if you intend to drink!
Mrs Susan Gray, Inishowen, Co Donegal
M. 086 3773784
susan@parcgroup.ie
Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our roads
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PETITIONS We, the undersigned members of the public, wish to express our serious concern at the ongoing prevalence of drink/drug driving. While the official statistics confirm the presence of excess alcohol in a substantial number of drivers involved in road traffic collisions, we are seriously concerned that a sizable number of drivers involved in road traffic collisions avoid detection because of the failure of an Garda Siochánna to breathalyse vehicle drivers at the scene of the collision or have their blood/urine alcohol level determined. We are strongly of the view that all drivers involved in road traffic collisions should be automatically tested for alcohol and drugs either at the scene or later in hospital to make it clear if they were a contributory factor. We believe that this would:
We urge you as Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform to insist on the introduction of such a compulsory measure. |
In April 2006, in Inishowen Co. Donegal (a known accident black spot)
a campaign group was formed to save lives on our roads.
PARC (Public against road carnage)
are aiming to promote: 'Public Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our
roads'.
Drink/drug driving, speed, road conditions and reform of the driving licence
system are just some of PARC's issues.
The first issue that we decided to address was compulsory testing at
accident scenes. With the help and support of Senator Jim Higgins PARC
started a petition to our Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen. Within
3 months over 20,000 people in Donegal had signed our petition calling
for: ' Compulsory drink and drug testing for all drivers involved in road
traffic collisions'.
With the help of Dr. Jerry Cowley our petition was delivered to Mr. Cullen's
office.
At present it is left to the discretion of the Gardai at the scene of
a collision as to whether anyone should be tested or not. This is contrary
to practise in Northern Ireland and most other EU countries where testing
is required procedure.
The public are in total disbelief that automatic testing is not already
a matter of course in all road traffic accidents.
Mr. Cullen's reply to PARC was 'Gardai
discretion in relation to the use of preliminary roadside tests is an
integral and important element of the enforcement provisions relating
to the laws applying to drink driving and I do not propose to alter that
position'.
Within 12 months we have gone nationwide, due to the extent of the public
outcry on many of our issues on road safety. We have branches in Donegal,
Leitrim, Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford and Cork.
In March 2007 PARC's Leitrim branch delivered a further 20,000 signatures from citizens voicing the same demand.
PARC's first public meeting was held in Inishowen in Co. Donegal on 3rd February 2007. Many families who had lost loved ones in road traffic collisions attended it. Mr. Noel Brett CEO of the Road Safety Authority, Senator Jim Higgins and MEP Marian Harkin were speakers on the panel discussing issues such as speeding, drink/drug driving, and the high number of young male driver fatalities, road conditions, and reform of the driving licensing system were discussed.
In July 2006 PARC members met with Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Mrs. Nuala O Loan who gave us great encouragement and advise on road safety issues.
May 2007 Our Taoiseach has given PARC an election pledge assuring us that he will introduce compulsory testing for drink and drugs for all drivers involved in road traffic collisions causing injury without delay if Fianna Fail are re-elected.We welcome this with open arms but feel that this is only the beginning. We will continue with our objective to ensure that ALL drivers involved in collisions which are attended by Gardai are tested automatically whether there is injury or not.
July 2007 PARC's issue was raised in the Dail by Senator Jim Higgins, Olivia Mitchell, Roisin Shorthall and Deputy Joe Mc Hugh.The new Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey refused to entertain the idea of compulsory testing stating: 'Garda discretion in relation to the use of preliminary roadside tests in such circumstances is necessary, having regard to possible injuries sustained and I do not propose to alter that position'.
It has to be made clear to all if alcohol/drugs is a contributory factor
in the cause of a collision. Grieving families throughout Ireland need
to know if drink/drugs were involved in the cause of their loved ones
death or injuries.
Otherwise they will never get closure…