Ban change will steer us into trouble

THE Government doesn’t seem to know what it wants – save lives or pander to those who kick up a stink any time drinkdriving legislation is tightened.

There is no doubt that motorists today are driving in vastly different conditions than they were even a decade ago.

Drink-driving is no longer socially acceptable or tolerated, carrying none of the misplaced bravado it once did.

Rightfully, the Road Safety Authority wants to bring loss of life as close to zero as it can get it. But still the carnage continues.

Despite the new legislation and controversial “morning after” Garda checkpoints, some morons continue to take serious risks.

And it is fuelled in no small part by the pathetic belief that a couple of pints never hurt anyone.

There is a strong fight back to allow people drive after a tipple or two so that rural pubs reverse the isolation of country life.

Shane Ross and his junior colleague Brendan Griffin need to be extremely careful in how they deal with the new offensive to loosen legislation – now centring on whether to give banned drivers a chance to drive to work.

This is like telling a prisoner they can walk free by day and return to prison at night.

There must be a consequence to bad behaviour – especially when the crime has taken countless lives over the years.