Just 22 motorists in Galway have had roadside drug-driving tests carried out since legislation was introduced in April 2017.
That’s compared with 28,000 breath tests carried out in Galway in the same period.
The figures were obtained by Independent TD Tommy Broughan which show the number of roadside tests carried out by Gardaí at over 100,000 checkpoints around the country.
Nationwide, less than 2,000 drug driving tests have been done in the last year and a half.
The initial goal when the legislation was introduced was to carry out 5,000 tests a year.
In comparison, more than 470,000 roadside breath tests were performed at garda checkpoints over the same period.
The number of tests carried out varied greatly from county to county, Kildare carried out the most with 268 drug driving tests.
But in Louth only three such tests were performed, and another four were done in Cork city.
This despite Cork city having 8,855 checkpoints, the third highest number of any garda division.
In the same 18 months 24,000 roadside breath tests were carried out in Cork city.
Other divisions that performed very few drug driving tests include Wicklow (9), Donegal (11), Mayo (12), and Westmeath (14).
The Gardaí are reminding drivers to reduce their speed today for safety’s sake.
From 7am today to 7am on Saturday is national ‘Slow Down’ day, the latest road safety initiative from An Garda Síochána.
The campaign aims to reduce the number of speed-related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on our roads.
An RSA study found that one in three fatal collisions between 2008 and 2012 involved excessive speed.
“I think we all accept that, when it comes to the rules of the road, motorists in Ireland often take too lax an approach,” says Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs.
“When it comes to driving behaviour, speed is the most lethal bad habit you can develop behind the wheel.”
“Not only does it significantly increase your chances of being in a crash, it also makes the outcome of any incident more severe.”
