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Are you listening, Gay Byrne?

A common-sense idea to reduce drink driving was made at the Irish Medical Organisation's AGM recently, but it got no media attention: seize the cars of drunk drivers.

While it may not end the hundreds of needless deaths on the Republic's roads each year, it may dramatically reduce the carnage. Even though Irish Medical Times ran an article relating to the proposal this week, it bears repeating on this blog.

The suggestion, made by a GP during a debate on drink driving, is worth considering.

For the sake of a few euro in taxi fares, drink drivers are willing to gamble with their own lives and, more importantly, those of other innocent drivers and pedestrians. They are selfish (insert your own swear word here)!

So let's hit them where it hurts - their pockets. Don't just ban them for a few years or fine them - take their vehicle. In one fell swoop they will lose thousands, if not tens of thousands of euros, of their private property.

Vehicles could be sold and the proceeds used to fund more campaigns against drink driving, or improvements to medical departments that deal with the human consequences.

If that's not enough of a deterrent, what is? It's such an obvious idea - perhaps that's why it hasn't been thought of before - at least not here.

But this is what what New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani did to stem drinking and driving there in 1999.

Perhaps the man to wave the idea in front of our politicians' faces is Gay Byrne, currently chairman of the Road Safety Authority.

Is it within his remit to raise it with Government? If so, please do so, Gay, because you may very well be the only person who can cajole, encourage or embarrass the Government into at least considering the proposal.

Posted in Health and Lifestyle on 15 April 2008
Tags: alcohol, RTAs