The Supreme Court has warned anyone who chooses to travel as a passenger in a car, driven by a person whom they knew or should reasonably have known had consumed alcohol are at risk of being found partially liable for any injuries they suffered in an accident.
Mr. Justice Kearns, , gave a Supreme Court Judgement in a case involving a young business student who suffered injuries in an accident in 1999 when she was travelling as a passenger in a car driven by her friends boyfriend who had been drinking stated that “any measure of tolerance towards intoxicated drivers and their passengers was a thing of the past”. He added “society’s understanding of the role of alcohol in driving cases has undergone radical changes in the past 40 years, influenced by the extent of carnage on our roads and multiple drink driving campaigns”. “The more a passenger realised the risk being undertaken in getting into a car with a driver who had consumed alcohol, the greater the degree of contributory negligence”, the Judge said.
An intending passenger who had been drinking also could also not rely on self-intoxication to avoid a finding of contributory negligence.
If you have sustained injuries in a road traffic accident and wish to find out more about your legal rights, please contact Liam Moloney, Solicitor to date at 045 898000 or simply log on to our website at www.moloneysolicitors.ie for further information.
