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Road Safety
Questions on drink driving will be added to the driver theory test
Between 2008 and 2012, alcohol was a factor in 38% of fatal collisions, claiming the lives of 286 people.
THE ROAD SAFETY Authority (RSA) has announced that new questions on drink driving will be added to the theory test.
The decision to add the questions was taken after worrying research by the RSA this year which showed drink driving is still a significant problem in Ireland, particularly among young people.
From 10 October, the main driver theory test bank will have 17 new questions on alcohol and driving. Two of these questions will be presented in each of the tests, though the overall format of the test will not change.
The new questions are based on the recent RSA report. They cover areas like:
- Which gender is more likely to drink and drive and be involved in a fatal crash
- Which type of collision is a drink driver in a fatal collision more likely to be in
- How the use of alcohol affected a person’s decision to use a seatbelt
- What the minimum blood alcohol level is for a learner or novice driver
- The number of people killed by a driver who had consumed alcohol.
The RSA pre-crash report on alcohol showed that between 2008 and 2012, alcohol was a factor in 38% of fatal collisions, claiming the lives of 286 people.
43% of drivers killed who had consumed alcohol were between 16 and 24 years old.
Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the RSA, said it is vital that young people understand the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, “no matter how little the amount consumed”.
The report we issued earlier this year dispels the myth that this killer behaviour is a thing of the past. It’s not – it is very much still present in communities throughout the country. What’s even more worrying is the number of young people who are dying on our roads because of alcohol. We need to use every opportunity we can to help new drivers to understand the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving.
Candidates are advised to use the current versions of the supporting learning materials (The Official Driver Theory Test book and CD, 5th or 6th edition) in addition to this PDF with information on the new section related to drink driving.
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