PASSENGERS IN VEHICLES may soon be subject to being breathalysed if they are accompanying a learner driver.
A spokesperson from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) told TheJournal.ie that while gardaí were not currently permitted to test the accompanying driver to see if they have been drinking and driving, this was something that they hoped would change.
The proposed new measure is outlined in the government’s fourth Road Safety Strategy document that runs from 2013-2020.
Key action number 106, with a proposed completion date of Q3 in 2016, states:
Legislate, subject to legal advice, to prevent persons over the legal blood alcohol limit from acting as an accompanying driver for a Learner Permit holder.
The RSA said that making this change would be an important preventative road safety measure, adding that the role of supervising a learner driver cannot be performed “if the accompanying driver is intoxicated.”
The spokesperson said that the authority would be looking to review the issue to determine if it constitutionally possible to legislate for stricter controls on those acting as an accompanying driver.
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