Majority agree with testing

Majority agree with testing

Analysis
Denise Horan

IN spite of a widely-held belief that random breath testing is having a negative effect on socialising in rural Ireland, almost four out of every five Mayo people are in favour of the practice.
A Mayo News/Millward Brown IMS opinion poll in the Mayo constituency revealed that 79 per cent of all respondents agree with the measure, while 18 per cent disagree with it and two per cent have no definite view.
The poll – carried out using face-to-face interviews with 508 people, at 46 sampling points across the county, from April 10 to 14 – also revealed that opinion is divided on the effectiveness of the measure in reducing road deaths, with 47 per cent saying that it has been effective and 46 per cent expressing the view that it has not been effective in dealing with road carnage.
The debate over random breath testing has been raging throughout the country since its introduction in July of last year, particularly in rural areas. The threat of being tested and of losing their driver’s licence has adversely affected the social habits of a significant number people in rural Ireland who have few other outlets open to them for socialising, it has been submitted. The measure has also been blamed for the mass closure of pubs in rural areas, with publicans citing huge drops in customer numbers since its introduction, particularly during the week.
In spite of the negative effects, however, it appears that civic-mindedness – and perhaps a heightened awareness of the dangers of drink-driving – is uppermost in the minds of Mayo people when it comes to the issue, and they support the law which permits gardaí to test people for alcohol consumption without having to form the view that the driver is under the influence of alcohol.
This view is not held equally by all members of Mayo society, however. Eighty-five per cent of all females who responded said they agreed with random breath testing, as did 84 per cent of all 18-34-year-olds polled, while 24 per cent of males and 28 per cent of farmers disagreed with the testing.
On the question of its effectiveness in reducing road deaths, 54 per cent of respondents in the 35-49-year-old age category contended that it has not been effective, while 56 per cent of all those in the 65+ age category expressed the opposite view. The remaining seven per cent of respondents said they did not know or had no opinion on this question.
The effects of random breath testing on socialising in rural Ireland threw up the most interesting responses in this series of questions. A significant fourteen per cent said that it has had a positive effect on socialising in rural Ireland, while eleven per cent said it made no difference. Those who expressed the view that it has had a negative effect were greater in number in four main categories – males (75 per cent), farmers (78 per cent), 35-39-year-olds (75 per cent) and Fianna Fáil voters (78 per cent).
In a Mayo News article in January of this year, a number of Mayo gardaí and retired gardaí opined that random breath testing was eroding the trust between members of the force and people in rural communities.
“Faith in the guards is being eroded by checkpoints manned by members of the Gardaí who are absolute strangers to the areas. It is causing disquiet among the rural communities and is reducing respect for the police force in general,” one serving member said.
Concern for the long-practised social habits of many people in rural parts of the county was also expressed.
“We are seen as targeting the senior couples or senior single men who are used to going to the pubs for a few social drinks and meeting friends at weekends. There is little if any evidence to back up any argument that these people are responsible for road accidents. Often, some of them are there because of loneliness and need the company and it is the only place that they feel that sense of freedom and are completely comfortable, chatting and playing cards.”