NEW: Convicted Drink Drivers May Soon Face Breath Test Locks in Ireland

Drink Driving Convictions Could Soon Mean Daily Breath Tests Before Driving

You’ve served your ban.

You’ve reapplied for your licence.

You think it’s over.

But what if the next step after a drink driving conviction isn’t freedom……it’s blowing into a breathalyser every single time you get behind the wheel?

That’s what’s coming.

And it’s not a rumour.

The New Plan: Breath Tests on the Dashboard

Under new Government proposals, convicted drink drivers may only be allowed back on the roads if they install a breath test device in their car.

"Neither the Caesar’s of Rome...nor the Ancient Greeks...

nor the Pharoah’s of Egypt...

ever spent as much of their nation’s wealth on a hospital.

But we are.

Little old Ireland is"

It’s called an Alcohol Ignition Interlock (AII).

Here's how it works:

• You blow into a breathalyser before starting the engine.

• If you’re over a set limit, the car won’t start.

• If you’re under, you can drive.

And this isn’t a short-term thing.

The device stays in the car for as long as the court or law says it should.

Why Is This Happening?

It’s part of a wider road safety strategy called Vision Zero.

The goal? No road deaths in Ireland by 2050.

Phase 2 of that plan was just revealed.

And it includes serious changes to how we deal with drink driving:

• Mandatory alcohol interlocks for some offenders

• Rehabilitation courses alongside

• More camera-based enforcement (for mobile phone use, seatbelts, speed)

• Speed limit reductions (national secondary roads dropping from 100kph to 80kph)

This isn’t theoretical.

It’s going to Cabinet.

And if it passes, it could transform what a drink driving conviction actually means.

So What Does This Mean for You?

Let’s say you’re convicted of drink driving next year.

You serve your ban.

But then?

You might only be allowed to drive again if you prove you’re sober every time.

Not once.

Every time.

It’s not just the legal consequences anymore. It's the daily humiliation.

The psychological impact of being treated like a danger on the roads—long after the case is finished.

"Should you have to confront that part of your life

for the rest of your life?

How do you move on if you cant move on,

if you’re not allowed to move on?

Will your punishment ever end?"

Is It Fair?

Maybe.

Some people will say it’s better than a lifetime ban.

Others will feel it’s overreach.

But here’s what matters:

If you’re convicted, you won’t have a choice.

This device won’t be optional. It will be the only way to drive again.

And Here’s the Real Point

If you’re facing a drink driving charge right now, the stakes just got higher.

This isn’t just about avoiding a ban anymore.

It’s about avoiding a future where every journey begins with a breath test.

Where your car treats you like a risk.

Where your conviction follows you—literally—everywhere you go.

Possibly forever.

That’s why you don’t roll over.

That’s why you don’t plead guilty without checking if the case can be challenged.

Because once convicted, it’s not just your licence at risk.

It’s your independence.

Final Word

It’ll be interesting to see who this is aimed at.

For instance for the vast majority of people convicted of drink driving, this is their first ever conviction. This case was their first -and likely only- ever interaction with the court.

You’ll never see them in court again.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some people who have been arrested for drink and drug driving twice or more. I should know, I’ve represented them.

One of my clients has been arrested and prosecuted 3 times for drug driving.

He’s won the first two cases, the last one remains to be fought.

But is it right that we apply alcohol ignition interlocks to the cars of people who have been arrested and convicted of drink driving once?

Should we put them to the daily humiliation of having to blow into a device in their car every time they decide to drive?

"The individual judge who oversaw the case should decide

whether an ignition interlock device is warranted,

not some grasping politician trying to portray himself

to the public as being “tough on crime”

What if they’re insured on their partner’s car?

Does this mean that their insurance is invalidated if they drive their wife’s car which doesn’t have an AII device?

And how does it work with car rentals?

One of the basic tenets of justice is the theory of 'proportionality'.

This is a constitutional right in criminal proceedings.

In other words, if you receive a sentence from a court, the sentence should be one that is proportionate to the offence committed.

The sentence should be one that gives you “some light at the end of the tunnel”, a pathway back to normal life again without the constant reminder of your offence.

If you’ve suffered the huge penalty of a 2 or 3 disqualification as well as the embarrassment that goes with it, should you have to confront that part of your life for the rest of your life? How do you move on if you cant move on, if you’re not allowed to move on?

Will your punishment ever end?

Public safety is obviously very important but frankly I think that the imposition of an alcohol ignition interlock device is one that should be left to the judge that imposed the disqualification.

There will undoubtedly be some cases where this is warranted.

But there will be an awful lot of cases where it’s not, where it’s just overkill.

"Should we put them to the daily humiliation

of having to blow into a device in their car

every time they decide to drive?"

Final, Final Takeaway.

These alcohol ignition interlock devices apply to people who are convicted.

The individual judge who oversaw the case should decide whether an ignition interlock device is warranted, not some grasping politician trying to portray himself to the public as being “tough on crime”.

And what is a crime anyway?

This country is spending €2.5b (at least) on a hospital.

It is the most expensive hospital in human history.

Neither the Caesar’s of Rome who built coliseum’s, aqueducts, walls and roads that have dominated cities and towns across Europe for over 2,000 years, nor the Ancient Greeks, whose temples and theatres have stood triumphant as a testament of man’s ingenuity for more than 2,500 years, nor the Pharoah’s of Egypt whose enormous pyramids have awed us for over 4,500 years, ever spent as much of their nation’s wealth on a hospital.

But we are.

Little old tiny Ireland is.

And it’s important to point out that this gargantuan cost to us is not a ‘crime’.

Not at all.

But you getting stopped for drink driving on a quiet country road at night is a ‘crime’.

And don’t forget it.

_______________

The only logical conclusion that you can draw is that these alcohol ignition interlocks will not apply to you if you are acquitted.

So, don’t get convicted.