A hotelier has said while he has “no issue” with the installation of breathalyser terminals in venues that serve alcohol, but questions whether spending €1.5 million on them is necessary. 

The RSA has announced plans to install 20 breathalyser terminals in pubs and hotels across Ireland, in a bid to encourage people to check whether they are over the limit. 

On Lunchtime Live, Tom Randles of Randles Hotel said he questions whether the terminals will make much difference. 

“I do wonder how many people would use it,” he said. 

“I mean, the legal limit is approximately one drink, one pint or one glass of wine.

“So, I think if people are over the limit, they know they're over the limit. 

“So, will they actually use it in a premises that they're socialising in? I question that.” 

Mr Randles added that hoteliers “fully support” anything that cuts road deaths and strongly oppose drink driving. 

“Any responsible publican or hotelier would engage with anything that the Road Safety Authority would put forward,” he said. 

“But I think, as you said, you're not meant to drink at all. 

“So, if there's a machine there or not a machine there, people will do what they want to do. 

“I would be worried about the spending of €1.5 million on these units in licensed premises.” 

Mr Randles continued that he believes that “generally” most people who drink in pubs are “very compliant” with the law. 

“People, if they're going to have a few drinks, they're going to walk to their nearest pub,” he said. 

“If they're staying in a hotel, they have the benefit of not having to walk home at all.

“The same in golf clubs; I mean, the culture of drinking and driving in this country, thankfully, has changed a lot in the last 20 to 30 years.”

Main image: A breathalyser. Picture by: Finnbarr Webster/Alamy Live News