The Head of the Road Safety Authority has criticised judges who use the poor box to penalise dangerous drivers, rather than giving them penalty points.

Liz O'Donnell has been speaking about drink driving, in the wake of the sentencing of a driver convicted of dangerous driving causing the death of Ciarán Treacy (4)

Finbarr O'Rourke of Laurel Drive in Portlaoise will serve 7.5 years in jail. 

Ms O'Donnell has commended the judge in this case, and the family, for their efforts to highlight the dangers of drink driving.

Liz O'Donnell described the practice of drink driving as unacceptable to society, but said alcohol remains a factor in about 15% of fatal crashes.

She called on the judiciary to stop using the poor box in place of penalty points in road traffic cases.

"That is completely unsuitable. The Minister has said it is unsuitable, the High Court has said it is unsuitable."

Social responsibility

She also called for responsibility for drink driving to be shared in the wider community.

"We should make an intervention and call people up on this behaviour".

People are being "mowed down or killed in a chaotic way", she said. "When people are drunk behind the wheel, their driving is so erratic that it is impossible to avoid them... people have no chance of escaping a drunk driver".

Ms O'Donnell also pointed out that road traffic legislation is the most challenged in our courts.

Head of the Road Safety Authority, Liz O'Donnell, spoke to Newstalk Breakfast:

She added: "People have a free will. They are getting into cars - they are not doing this automatically. They are taking a chance".