Almost 800 people were arrested for drink driving offences over the Christmas and new Year period in 2020 An Garda Síochána has said.
Between December 4, 2020 and January 5, 2021 Gardaí arrested 790 motorists for drink driving during the Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign.
The campaign focused on people driving while intoxicated, with a large number of drunk drivers found despite the reduction in traffic on the roads.
There were ten deaths on Irish roads during this months long campaign, down from 16 fatalities in the same period the year before.
Overall there were a total of 148 fatalities on Irish roads last year, an increase of 6% on 2019.
For 2021, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Roads Policing and Community Engagement Bureau continues to appeal to all road users to remember the basics of road safety.
“The message is clear, never drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or a combination of both.”
“We also ask that drivers increase their compliance with speed limits in order to lower speed related collisions. This will reduce injuries on our roads and save lives.”
As another key part of the Christmas and New Year Safety campaign, An Garda Síochána conducted a “National Slow Down Day” on 11th and 12th of December to detect those speeding on our roads.
The operation consisted of high visibility speed enforcement across the 1,300 speed enforcement zones, as well as the delivery of a road safety message through national, local and social media.
Gardaí and GoSafe together checked 186,125 vehicles during this period, detecting 892 drivers speeding.
