Superintendent Vincent O'Brien has defended claims that gardai are not doing enough to combat drug driving and stated that alcohol is the drug causing the biggest problem on the county's roads at the moment.

In answer to a number of questions raised on this issue at a public meeting of the Joint Policing Committee on Monday night, the Superintendent stated:

"At the moment An Garda Síochána do not have the road-side equipment to detect drug drivers.

"If someone is arrested for a drink driving offence they are taken to the station and processed on the Intoxilyzer machine.

"If they are still found to be under the influence of a substance then a blood or urine specimen can be requested of them. In my opinion, the biggest problem on the roads at the moment is the drug of alcohol."

"Drink driving was first put on the Statue Books in 1960 through Section 49 (1). In 1978 this was amended to include blood and alcohol levels. So historically, in a 47 year period we have been trying to address the problem of drink driving, and it is time that people got the message."

BLAKE

Anti-drugs campaigner PJ Blake submitted a question on drug driving to the meeting, as did Chairperson of Donegal road safety group A-Ceart, Mary Clinton.

Mr Blake commented:

"Drug driving, is being ignored. There were 4,500 people arrested for drink driving in the country last year, but how many of those were drug drivers?

"There is a major, major problem out there, particularly regarding the use of cocaine." he added.