€1.5m Scheme To Install Breathalysers In Pubs And Hotels Scrapped

A ROAD SAFETY Authority (RSA) tender to install 20 breathalyser terminals across hotels and pubs has been scrapped just one day after news broke that it had been issued. Seán Canney, minister of state with responsibility for Road Safety, has welcomed the decision to stop the breathalyser procurement process. The initiative, which was set to cost approximately €1.5 million, aimed to challenge the perception of when it is safe to drive after drinking alcohol. The RSA defended its plan after transport spokesperson for the Social Democrats, Aidan Farrelly TD, blasted it as “disgraceful” and “neglectful”. The plan came after a pilot programme found that a high proportion of motorists mistakenly believed that they were under the legal limit before getting behind the wheel. The research showed that 45% of people in over 24,000 tests conducted thought they were under the legal limit when their actual breath test results found they exceeded the limit. Alan Morrissey was joined by Sean Lally, Chair of the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum and hotelier at Hotel Woodstock in Ennis, and Maurice Walsh, Manager of Moroney's Pub in Ennis and Vice Chair of the Forum. Photo (c) wilpunt from Getty Images Signature via Canva