Portugal workshop – 15 July 2021

The tenth online EU Road Safety Exchange workshop brought together experts from Portugal and Ireland. The topic of the workshop was drink and drug driving, with a focus on the coronavirus pandemic effects on intoxicated driving and a systematic approach to reducing drink and drug driving. The workshop was virtually hosted by the National Authority for Road Safety of Portugal (ANSR), with the active participation of representatives from authorities as well as the civil society. The Road Safety Authority Ireland coordinated the meeting on the Irish side.

Superintendent Tom Murphy, An Garda Síochána, provided the police perspective on the levels of intoxicated driving and the actions undertaken to combat this phenomenon.  Professor Denis A. Cusack, Director, Medical Bureau of Road Safety gave a comprehensive presentation on Intoxicated alcohol and other drug driving epidemiology in Ireland, in particular during the pandemic. Professor Desmond O’ Neill, Director of the National Office of Traffic Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, focused on a systems approach to alcohol use disorders and driving

The Irish experts provided insight into their strategy of reducing intoxicated driving and exchanged ideas in a lively debate with the Portuguese colleagues. The workshop follows a study visit in Dublin in 2020 and will be followed by a best practice seminar in Brussels.

Good discussions between Portuguese 🇵🇹 and Irish 🇮🇪 experts on reducing drink and drug driving during another EU #RoadSafetyExchange workshop.@ansegrodoviaria @RSAIreland @GardaTraffic @RCPI_news @Transport_EU @BaldwinMatthew_ pic.twitter.com/jgaTSNl1AT

European Transport Safety Council (@ETSC_EU) July 15, 2021