Re: higher sales ?
Currently living in Ireland and that suggestion was made by a county council where 5 of those who voted for it were publicans, it was seen as a joke here and an embarrassment when news agencies in other countries picked up on it (reinforced the drunken Irish stereotype).
Apart from having been voted only by councillors who had a vested interest, this was so wrong for several other reasons. Firstly, drunk driving incidents occur regardless if you're over the limit (and possibly under) whether you're in the country or the city - country folk don't have magic fairies protecting them, or more importantly other road users, from drunk driving accidents.
This had the old farmers in mind, those who drive their tractors to the pub and back - can you imagine the mess if a tractor veers even slightly onto the other side of the road in the face of oncoming traffic? The bigger they are the less margin for error. Not only that, there are few pavements in the country (and even not so many as you'd expect in the towns in this country) and so pedestrians would be forced to share the road with drunk drivers (carnage no doubt a result).
And finally, the point the medical profession made - alcohol is a depressant - if you're already depressed living in the country, do you really think allowing those people to drink alcohol is going to help? If this is about social inclusion then why don't the publicans arrange a minibus or social events that don't have to include alcohol? Because they wouldn't make money from it, that's why and this is why it's all about money-making for the councillors who voted for it (5 of them voted for it, I think 4 against with 12 absent and 7 abstaining, so only 5 out of 28 actually voted for it).
[$Deity] knows this country needs to move away from needing alcohol to have any kind of social gathering.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
