More than 500 arrested for drink or drug driving this month
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More than 500 people have been arrested for drink or drug driving so far this month, as a national “Go Slow” day kicks in on Friday with gardaí ramping up activity ahead of the Christmas period.
Since Friday, December 1, gardaí have conducted 2,377 mandatory intoxicant testing checkpoints around the country.
In the first 21 days of the month, 9,570 speeding offences were detected along with 860 people given on-the-spot fines for using their phone while driving and 200 fined for not wearing a seatbelt.
“We’re out to keep you safe on Irish roads this Christmas — please help us help you,” gardaí said.
“An Garda Síochána are urging all road users to be safe this Christmas and New Year. The operation will focus on the dangers of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, without a seatbelt, speeding, or using a mobile phone while driving.”
Gardaí’s official Christmas and New Year road safety enforcement operation began at the beginning of the month and will run until 7am on Thursday, January 4.
According to the most recent garda statistics, 181 people have lost their lives on Irish roads so far this year. This figure includes 43 pedestrians, 25 motorcyclists, seven cyclists, and four e-scooter drivers/passengers. Compared to the same time last year, this is a rise of almost 20%.
Amid the surge in road deaths, the Government has been searching for different policy levers to help address the issue.
Earlier this week, the Cabinet approved the publication of the new Road Traffic Bill, aimed at providing for penalty point reform, mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions, and safer speed limits.
Minister of State with responsibility for road safety Jack Chambers said: “Too many families will have an empty seat this year at Christmas, we must utilise the tools at our disposal to ensure we do not see a repeat of this in 2024.”
RSA chair Liz O’Donnell welcomed the new speed limit measures and said reduced speeds would have a real impact. “So reducing the speed in urban and built-up areas is extremely important,” she said. “This has proven to have worked in other jurisdictions in Spain, for example, and in London. And it is it is showing a marked decrease in crashes, particularly with pedestrians and cyclists.”
One mooted measure had been a provision for extra penalty points on bank holiday weekends but this was not included in the new road traffic bill published this week by the Government.
Mr Chambers said this was due to advice from the Attorney General regarding the legal complexity of its drafting, but added it would be addressed at a later stage.