DRINK DRIVERS KILL 120 A YEAR; Booze in 35% of deaths Most die at weekends.

Byline: BY CLAUDINE LEDWIDGE-O'REILLY

MORE than a third of deaths on Irish roads from 2003 to 2005 were drinkrelated, it was claimed yesterday.

And around 120 people die in alcoholfuelled crashes every year. But public health expert Dr Declan Bedford warned the number could be far higher as 35 per cent of those in crashes weren't tested for booze or drugs.

The HSE specialist said there had been a reduction in drink-related deaths but insisted the alcohol limit should be lowered.

He told an international road safety conference at Croke Park: "One drink is too much.

"We need targeted action which is to reduce the alcohol limit to save lives and reduce injury.

"Even at the lowest level, alcohol impairs driving." Dr Bedford called for the legal blood alcohol limit to be reduced from 80mg to 50mg in order to cut road deaths. His three-year research revealed that out of 335 people killed on the roads in 2003, 124 had been drinking.

The next year out of 374 deaths, 110 had alcohol in their system while in 2005, 396 were killed and 118 had been drinking.

Dr Bedford added: "It's a serious problem with alcohol killing at least 120 a year".

The shocking Drink-Driving In Ireland report - delivered as part of Irish Road Safety Week - showed young men of between 20 and 34 made up 90 per cent of road deaths and two thirds of the deaths occurred from Friday night to Monday morning.

Meanwhile, a top consultant claimed drink-driving crashes cost his hospital around /50million a year.

Dr Gerry Lane, from Letterkenny General Hospital, Co Donegal, added: "Medical and rescue services are frustrated...there are still huge numbers being preventably killed."

80mg

Legal blood alcohol limit

20-34

Age of males involved in 90% of road deaths

EUR50m what drink drivers cost a hospital each year