16 March 2017

A third of dead drivers in 2014 'had consumed alcohol'

More than three in ten people killed in road traffic incidents in 2014 had consumed alcohol, writes Brian Byrne.

According to a new report issued by the Road Safety Authority today, a third of car drivers and motorcycle riders killed in crashes had alcohol in their system. And 96pc of them were male, with a median age of 38 years.

Four in ten motorcycle fatalities were alcohol-positive, while 28pc of pedestrians were.

The average alcohol level for deceased car drivers was 192mg, and for motorcyclists killed it was 104mg, against a national 50mg limit.

There were 193 road fatalities recorded by the RSA in 2014.

Meanwhile, the RSA also says there has been a 17pc increase in arrests for driving under the influence so far in 2017, compared to the same period last year.