The number of breath tests carried out on Irish roads has plummeted in recent years despite an increase in the number of licenced drivers, with campaign groups saying the Government must now "call time on drink driving".
Alcohol Action Ireland, which is due to appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport this morning, called for change after figures showed a fall in the number of tests and arrests over the last 15 years.
"In 2010, there were 2,655,048 driving licenses held in Ireland, with 566,760 breath tests carried out resulting in 10,308 drink driving arrests," its chief executive Sheila Gilheany said.
"Last year, there were a total of 3,538,732 licenses held, but only 189,736 breath tests carried out.
"This resulted in a total of 4,867 arrests for drink driving."
Garda figures show that last year, 190 people were killed on Irish roads. So far this year, 58 people have died, which is down two on the same period last year.
Figures from the Road Safety Authority's most recent Driver and Attitudes Survey, meanwhile, show more than one-in-ten Irish drivers have admitted to driving after drinking alcohol in the past 12 months.
A quarter of motorists also felt it was acceptable to drive a short distance in their local area after drinking alcohol, while 23% said there were times they may have been over the legal limit when driving the morning after a night out.
During the most recent bank holiday road safety operation, gardaí arrested a total of 165 people for driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.
Ms Gilheaney said that Ireland "has the lowest level of roadside breath testing in the EU".
"In 2021, just 18 tests per 1,000 inhabitants were carried out here. In France, that figure was 109 and the league was topped by Estonia with a rate of 576 tests," she said.
"This needs to change. In other countries, ambitious targets for breath testing are set," she added.
She cited Australia as an example, saying there is a target there to test each licenced driver once annually.
The group also claims that 37% of drink driving court cases do not result in convictions.
Ms Gilheany called on the Government to act to reduce population-level alcohol consumption, citing research stating that a 10% increase in alcohol prices is associated with a 7% reduction in road deaths.
She also said that a one-hour extension of late-night opening hours "is associated with a 30% increase in road collisions in rural areas".
"Doing nothing about the major risk factor of alcohol is not an option," she added, "Government must call time on drink driving."
