Sir, – Una Mullally has implied that the detrimental outcomes engendered by enhancing the nightlife are still a matter of speculation and lack concrete evidence (“‘A lot of local leaders lost patience with Dublin’: Give Us The Night campaign persists its battle for neutrality”, Culture, January 22nd). She is indeed accurate, and no one is contesting this. However, what is more than a mere conjecture and has ample supporting facts is that an increase in alcohol availability invariably leads to adverse results.
The Sale of Alcohol Bill is considering a proposal to prolong licensing hours as well as augment the count of establishments selling liquor. To underscore a significant apprehension – highway safety. An extensive review conducted in 2020 on international licensing regulations and their correlation to accidents disclosed that increased operational hours generally led to a surge in drink-driving offenses. A study from Norway in 2022 corroborates this, presenting that a single-hour extension in alcohol licensing duration correlated with as much as a 30% rise in vehicle mishaps in rural regions. In Ireland, alcohol has been detected in the systems of 37% of road casualty victims. What’s more, 72% of these mishaps occur in the countryside. On top of this, the Road Safety Authority’s recent study reveals that one-tenth of motorists confess to having driven under the influence in the preceding year, and unfortunately, the number of road fatalities is escalating at a terrifying speed. The convergence of these factors points towards an imminent crisis. An in-depth investigation into the potential consequences of enhancing licensing hours is necessitated, along with a strategy by the government to manage these scenarios. A health-impact appraisal, as recommended by the Oireachtas Justice Committee in its preliminary examination of the Bill, could be of use.
Several entities have prevailed upon for such an evaluation, including the Road Safety Authority, the PARC Road Safety Group, and the Irish Road Victims Association. They stand with the likes of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine and cohorts from the sectors of domestic abuse, mental health, and child welfare – essentially, those who would bear the consequences of heightened alcohol use. These fears are tangible and justified and should not be shrugged off as “moralistic histrionics”. The relatives of the over 1,500 individuals who succumb to alcohol consumption annually, with road accidents, slips, and suicides accounting for a third, might offer a contrasting perspective.
Simon Harris, the newly appointed Taoiseach, has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to curbing alcohol harm throughout his previous tenure as Health Minister. His significant contribution to the enactment of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act in 2018 attests to this. Harris’ understanding of the influence exerted by the global alcohol industry to undermine the Act’s modest provisions is well established, often by criticising the neutral, lucid proof of the damaging effects of alcohol. It is now vital for him to resist these powerful interests once more and prioritise the welfare of the public over vested interests. Best regards,
Dr SHEILA GILHEANY,
Several parents struggle unnecessarily to make their offspring conform to certain standards
The evolution of Grafton Street: The transformation of a modest rural path into a prestigious address featuring celebrity homes, hotels, Turkish spas and stores
Chief Executive Officer,
Alcohol Action Ireland,
Dublin 7.