Minister for Transport Shane Ross described the rise in deaths on Irish roads last year as “calamitous”, and plans to introduce dramatic and tough new laws to stamp out drink-driving.
One of the likely plans Mr Ross wants brought in is reducing the current alcohol limit of 50mg for fully licensed drivers to 20mg.
This would make one small drink, such as half a pint of beer, put a driver over the legal limit.
Mr Ross said Ireland has become a “cowboy country” due to the amount of uninsured drivers on our roads.
187 people lost their lives on Irish roads last year in 175 accidents, 25 more people than who died in crashes in 2015.
“The spike in road deaths is calamitous and completely against what was expected,” Mr Ross said.
“It is inexplicable except in terms of speed, drink, mobile usage, safety belts.
“If drunk-driving continues we will have to look at dramatic ways to tackling it, including changing the offences, changing the penalties, the offence times, because drunk-driving has been resurrected as huge problem,” he said.
“In my generation, it doesn’t exist, but it is young men primarily,” he said. “The message that is coming out from the shock TV ads is not getting through. It is no good having the ads as they clearly not affecting those who are drinking and driving.
“A more visible Garda presence would help but we have to look at the penalties and the culture if the new measures do not succeed in bringing the numbers down.”