The Road Safety Authority has withdrawn a €1.5 million plan to install breathalyser terminals in pubs and hotels after the Government intervened, according to the Irish Independent. The scheme, reported on Tuesday, would have let people check for themselves whether they were over the drink-driving limit before getting behind the wheel.
The plan had drawn public attention before it was pulled. The Journal ran a reader poll asking what people thought of the proposal, while Newstalk reported criticism from people who lost relatives to drink driving, one of whom described the terminals as a "slap in the face" for grieving families.
Coverage of the initiative had also spread beyond the capital. KCLR 96FM reported that the authority was set to put more than €1 million into terminals for drivers to test themselves, and NorthernSound reported that Monaghan would form part of the new breathalysing programme.
The withdrawal leaves the question of self-testing equipment in licensed premises open. It is not yet clear from the reporting whether the authority intends to bring forward a revised version of the plan or abandon the approach altogether.
