Junior Transport Minister says he has never been breathalysed

Junior Transport Minister Jack Chambers has admitted that he has never been breathalysed by Gardaí.

When asked when the last time he was stopped at a checkpoint was, the Minister of State with responsibility for road safety, 33, indicated that it was during the Covid-19 pandemic when there were sweeping checkpoints in place across the country.

The Fianna Fáil TD was on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show speaking about road safety amid further fatalities on Irish roads.

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Some 69 people have died on the roads so far in 2024. This is up from 51 on the same period last year.

On the programme on Wednesday evening, Mr Chambers expressed concerns about the number of people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

He was then asked when he was last breathalysed or stopped at a checkpoint.

“Certainly during Covid, certainly many of us would have been stopped at checkpoints,” Minister Chambers said.

“I’ve never been breathalysed.”

A Garda checkpoint (file photo)
(Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Mr Chambers reiterated comments made two weeks ago stating that enforcement has “collapsed” and must be increased.

He acknowledged that enforcement does affect behaviour and that “people have to perceive that they have a chance of getting caught”.

The Minister said that this will “improve”.

“[Justice] Minister [Helen] McEntee has extended the hours of speed vans from 7,500 hours to 9,000 hours,” he continued.

“We’re expanding the remit of average speed cameras and static cameras nationwide.

“Transport Infrastructure Ireland are leading on that so that we will have a much wider proliferation of speed cameras being introduced.

“We’re developing a strategy modelling on Scotland. We’ve been years hearing about it and nothing happened. We are taking the action this year to put in place a strategy. It is modelling on best practice elsewhere. We want to see them rolled out.

“That will only complement the work of members of roads policing units nationwide."