Unfortunately folks, this is not a story out of The Onion. A county council in south-west Ireland has voted to support allowing rural drunk driving to help "prevent depression and suicide," reports Henry McDonald.
According to McDonald, a motion was passed by Kerry county council in January that "supports the creation of permit that will allow rural drinkers to drive after having 'two or three drinks'. It was tabled by the independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae, who has claimed it would help prevent depression and suicide in the county."
"Healy-Rae said people in rural areas were 'travelling very minor roads … with very little traffic' and 'have never killed anyone'."
"He said his proposal would bring back a social outlet for lonely people in rural areas that had been lost after stricter drink-drive laws were introduced."
"Some councillors in Kerry have distanced themselves from the pro-drink-drive motion," notes McDonald. "The Irish Labour councillor Gillian Wharton-Slattery said she did not want to be associated with the motion."
"Addressing Healy-Rae, she said: 'Depression causes suicide. It's not caused by not being able to go to the pub. There's more things to do in Kilgarvan than go into your pub.'"
FULL STORY: Irish council approves motion to allow rural drink-driving
Dublin Will Ban Through Traffic Downtown
A vast majority of residents support a plan to limit vehicular traffic through the city’s center.
NHTSA Calls for Drunk Driving Detection Tech
The agency says it will explore various options for testing impairment behind the wheel.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Will Finally Make Carmakers Consider Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian safety ratings for cars, drunk driving detection tech, and better headlights—these are just a handful of the automobile safety improvements that will benefit pedestrians as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland