Number 15 of 1973

ROAD TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1973

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

Number 15 of 1973

ROAD TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1973

Definition.

1.—In this Act “the Act of 1968” means the Road Traffic Act, 1968.

Amendment of section 27 of Act of 1968.

2.—Section 27 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended by the substitution of the following for the definition of “designated”: “‘designated’ means designated by a member of the Garda Síochána;”.

Amendment of section 30 of Act of 1968.

3.—Section 30 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended—

(a) by the substitution in subsection (1) of “a member of the Garda Síochána” for “the member of the Garda Síochána then in charge there”,

and

(b) by the substitution in subsection (2) of “a member of the Garda Síochána” for “the member of the Garda Síochána in charge of the station”,

and, accordingly, the said subsections shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE

(1) Where a person (in this section referred to as the arrested person) arrested under section 49 (4) of the Principal Act or section 28 (3) (a) of this Act has been brought to a Garda station a member of the Garda Síochána may do either or both of the following—

(a) require the arrested person to provide in the prescribed manner a specimen of his breath by exhaling into an apparatus designed for showing the concentration of alcohol in the breath or blood or into a receptacle designed for preserving the specimen for subsequent analysis,

(b) require the arrested person either to permit a designated registered medical practitioner to take from the arrested person a specimen of his blood or, if the arrested person so opts, to provide for the designated registered medical practitioner a specimen of the arrested person's urine in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), when an arrested person who opted to provide in accordance with the prescribed procedure a specimen of urine fails to do so, he may be required by a member of the Garda Síochána to permit the designated registered medical practitioner to take from the arrested person a specimen of his blood.

Amendment of section 33 of Act of 1968.

4.—Section 33 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended—

(a) by the substitution in subsection (1) of “a member of the Garda Síochána” for “the member of the Garda Síochána then in charge there”,

and

(b) by the substitution in subsection (2) of “a member of the Garda Síochána” for “the member of the Garda Síochána in charge of the station”,

and, accordingly, the said subsections shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE

(1) Where a person (in this section referred to as the arrested person) arrested under section 50 (6) of the Principal Act or section 28 (3) (b) of this Act has been brought to a Garda station, a member of the Garda Síochána may do either or both of the following—

(a) require the arrested person to provide in the prescribed manner a specimen of his breath by exhaling into an apparatus designed for showing the concentration of alcohol in the breath or blood or into a receptacle designed for preserving the specimen for subsequent analysis,

(b) require the arrested person either to permit a designated registered medical practitioner to take from the arrested person a specimen of his blood or, if the arrested person so opts, to provide for the designated registered medical practitioner a specimen of the arrested person's urine in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), when an arrested person who opted to provide in accordance with the prescribed procedure a specimen of urine fails to do so, he may be required by a member of die Garda Síochána to permit the designated registered medical practitioner to take from the arrested person a specimen of his blood.

Amendment of section 36 of Act of 1968.

5.—Section 36 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended by the the substitution in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of “a member of the Garda Síochána” for “the member of the Garda Síochána then in charge there” and of “such a member” for “such member”, and, accordingly, the said subsection shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE

(1) In a prosecution for refusing or failing to permit a designated registered medical practitioner to take a specimen of blood, it shall be a good defence for the defendant—

(a) to show that, when brought to the Garda station and before a requisition under section 30 (1) (b) or section 33 (1) (b) was made on him, he was not given an opportunity by a member of the Garda Síochána (having requested such an opportunity of such a member) of providing in the prescribed manner a specimen of his breath by exhaling into an apparatus designed for the purpose of indicating the presence’ of alcohol in the breath, or

(b) to show that, when required to permit the taking of the specimen, he had not been cautioned in the prescribed terms of the possible effects of his refusal or failure, or

(c) to satisfy the court that there was a special and substantial reason for his refusal or failure.

Amendment of section 43 of Act of 1968.

6.—Section 43 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended by the substitution in subsection (1) of “the member of the Garda Síochána who made the requisition” for “the member of the Garda Síochána then in charge of the station”, and, accordingly, the said subsection shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE

(1) Whenever a designated registered medical practitioner has, following a requisition under section 30 or section 33, taken a specimen of blood or obtained a specimen of urine from a person, he shall certify the prescribed particulars on a prescribed form which he shall then give to the member of the Garda Síochána who made the requisition, and the specimen and a copy of the certificate shall be forwarded in accordance with the prescribed procedure to the Bureau.

Amendment of section 44 of Act of 1968.

7.—Section 44 of the Act of 1968 is hereby amended—

(a) by the substitution in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of “be sufficient evidence until the contrary is shown” for “be conclusive evidence”,

(b) by the substitution in paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of “facts in relation to which records are required” for “facts obtained from records required”, and

(c) by the insertion after subsection (2) of the following new subsection:

“(3) In a prosecution for an offence under section 49 or 50 of the Principal Act, it shall be presumed until the contrary is shown that a person who took from a person, referred to in section 30 or 33 of this Act as the arrested person, a specimen of the arrested person's blood, or for whom the arrested person provided a specimen of his urine, is a registered medical practitioner.”,

and, accordingly, the said section shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE

Provisions relating to evidence.

44.—(1) A certificate expressed to be issued under section 43 (1) shall, without proof of the signature of the person purporting to sign the certificate or that that person was the proper person so to sign, be sufficient evidence in any legal proceedings of the matters certified in the certificate, until the contrary is shown.

(2) Where a certificate is expressed to have been issued under section 43 (3), the following provisions shall, without proof of the signature of the person purporting to sign the certificate or that that person was the proper person so to sign, apply:

(a) where the certificate states that it has been determined that a specimen of blood contained a specified concentration of alcohol or that a specimen of urine contained a concentration of alcohol equivalent to a specified concentration of alcohol in the blood, the certificate shall, in a prosecution for an offence under section 49 or 50 of the Principal Act, but subject to section 45 (4) of this Act, be sufficient evidence until the contrary is shown that, at the time the specimen was taken or provided, the concentration of alcohol in the blood of the person from whom the specimen was taken or by whom the specimen was provided was the specified concentration of alcohol;

(b) where the certificate states other facts in relation to which records are required to be kept under this Part, it shall be sufficient evidence in any legal proceedings of the correctness of those facts until the contrary is shown.

(3) In a prosecution for an offence under section 49 or 50 of the Principal Act, it shall be presumed until the contrary is shown that a person who took from a person, referred to in section 30 or 33 of this Act as the arrested person, a specimen of the arrested person's blood, or for whom the arrested person provided a specimen of his urine, is a registered medical practitioner.

Short title and collective citation.

8.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 1973.

(2) This Act and the Road Traffic Acts, 1961 and 1968, may be cited together as the Road Traffic Acts, 1961 to 1973.

Uimhir 15 de 1973

AN tACHT UM THRÁCHT AR BHÓITHRE (LEASÚ), 1973

[An tiontú oifigiúil]

Miniú.

1968, Uimh. 25.

1.—San Acht seo ciallaíonn “Acht 1968” an tAcht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 1968.

Leasú ar alt 27 d'Acht 1968.

2.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 27 d'Acht 1968 tríd an míniú seo a leanas a chur in ionad an mhínithe ar “ainmnithe”:

“ciallaíonn ‘ainmnithe’ ainmnithe ag comhalta den Gharda Síochána;”.

Leasú ar alt 30 d'Acht 1968.

3.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 30 d'Acht 1968—

(a) trí “féadfaidh comhalta den Gharda Síochána” a chur in ionad “féadfaidh an comhalta den Gharda Síochána a bheidh i bhfeighil an stáisiúin an tráth sin” i bhfo-alt (1), agus

(b) trí “féadfaidh comhalta den Gharda Síochána” a chur in ionad “féadfaidh an comhalta den Gharda Síochána a bheidh i bhfeighil an stáisiúin” i bhfo-alt (2),

agus, dá réir sin, beidh éifeacht ag na fo-ailt sin amhail mar atá leagtha amach sa Tábla a ghabhann leis an alt seo.

Leasú ar alt 33 d'Acht 1968.

4.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 33 d'Acht 1968—

(a) trí “féadfaidh comhalta den Gharda Síochána” a chur in ionad “féadfaidh an comhalta den Gharda Síochána a bheidh i bhfeighil an stáisiúin an tráth sin” i bhfo-alt (1),

agus

(b) trí “féadfaidh comhalta den Gharda Síochána” a chur in ionad “féadfaidh an comhalta den Gharda Síochána a bheidh i bhfeighil an stáisiúin” i bhfo-alt (2),

agus, dá réir sin, beidh éifeacht ag na fo-ailt sin amhail mar atá leagtha amach sa Tábla a ghabhann leis an alt seo.

Leasú ar alt 36 d'Acht 1968.

5.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 36 d'Acht 1968 trí “deis ó chomhalta den Gharda Síochána” a chur in ionad “deis ón gcomhalta den Gharda Síochána a bhí an tráth sin a bhfeighil an stáisiúin” agus “ar chomhalta den sórt sin” a chur in ionad “ar an gcomhalta sin” i mír (a) d'fho-alt (1), agus, dá réir sin, beidh éifeacht ag an bhfo-alt sin amhail mar atá leagtha amach sa Tábla a ghabhann leis an alt seo.

Leasú ar alt 43 d'Acht 1968.

6.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 43 d'Acht 1968 trí “don chomhalta den Gharda Síochána a chuir an ceanglas” a chur in ionad “don chomhalta den Gharda Síochána a bheidh an tráth sin i bhfeighil an stáisiúin” i bhfo-alt (1) agus, dá réir sin, beidh éifeacht ag an bhfo-alt sin amhail mar atá leagtha amach sa Tábla a ghabhann leis an alt seo.

Leasú ar alt 44 d'Acht 1968.

7.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 44 d'Acht 1968—

(a) trí “ina leorfhianaise go dtí go suífear a mhalairt” a chur in ionad “ina fhianaise dhochloíte” i mír (a) d'fho-alt (2),

(b) trí “fíorais eile ar gá taifid ina dtaobh a choimeád” a chur in ionad “fíorais eile a fuarthas ó thaifid is gá a choimeád” i mír (b) d'fho-alt (2), agus

(c) tríd an bhfo-alt nua seo a leanas a chur isteach i ndiaidh fho-alt (2):

“(3) In aon ionchúiseamh i leith ciona faoi alt 49 nó 50 den Phríomh-Acht toimhdeofar, go dtí go suífear a mhalairt, gur lia-chleachtóir cláraithe duine a thóg ó dhuine, dá ngairtear an duine gafa in alt 30 nó 33 den Acht seo, sampla d'fhuil an duine ghafa, nó ar chuir an duine gafa sampla dá chuid fuail ar fáil dó.”,

agus dá réir sin, beidh éifeacht ag an alt sin amhail mar atá leagtha amach sa Tábla a ghabhann leis an alt seo.

Gearrtheideal agus comhlua.

8.—(1) Féadfar an tAcht um Thrácht ar Bhóithre (Leasú), 1973, a ghairm den Acht seo.

(2) Féadfar na hAchtanna um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 1961 go 1973, a ghairm den Acht seo agus de na hAchtanna um Thrácht ar Bhóithre, 1961 agus 1968, le chéile.