The Kerry County Council in Ireland passed a controversial measure this week to make it legal for rural drivers to drink and drive.
Only three council members voted no on the proposal legislation, five said yes of the new special permits which allow residents to drive intoxicated according to the Guardian.
"A lot of these people are living in isolated rural areas where there's no public transport of any kind, and they end up at home looking at the four walls, night in and night out, because they don't want to take the risk of losing their license," Healy-Rae said to TheJournal.ie.
Overall, Ireland has been trying to crack down on drunk driving by not allowing people to drive with over 50mg of alcohol in their system. This would be the equivalent of drinking one pint of beer according to the Huffington Post.
New permits would allow rural residents to drink at least two or three drinks according to the Guardian.
"It is unthinkable that we would go back to a system that sought to increase our drink-drive limit," said Noel Brett to Independent.ie. "We have made substantial progress in Ireland in reducing deaths and injuries on our roads, particularly in rural areas which are hardest hit by road fatalities and injuries."
The council was missing 12 members when voting took place, and seven refused to vote on the measure. This is only the first step of their plan however, as the council still has to petition Justice Minister Alan Shatter to issue the special permits.
Alcohol Action spokesman Conor Cullen disputed recent claims that drunken driving laws are leading to the increased "isolation and depression of older" Irish citizens according to the Huffington Post.
"It should be noted that the link between alcohol use and suicide has been well established and alcohol will exacerbate, not alleviate any mental health difficulties that a person may be struggling with, such as depression or anxiety," Cullen told the BBC. "Those in rural areas who may be suffering from isolation will not benefit from putting their lives and the lives of the other members of their community at risk by drinking and driving."
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