Gardaí to clamp down on drink driving

Gardaí are to deploy extra officers over the bank holiday weekend to clamp down on drink driving and speeding.

There will be “extensive use” of checkpoints conducting random breath test on drivers across the State in an effort to cut road deaths. Gardai will also be targeting speeding drivers over the weekend, a Garda spokesman said.

According to statistics a 1km/h reduction in speed results in a 2 per cent reduction in crashes that cause injuries, a 3 per cent reduction in collisions that cause serious injury and a 4 per cent reduction in fatal crashes.

“A small change in driver behaviour can therefore impact significantly in terms of road safety,” a the spokesman said.

“Alcohol is the second greatest contributory factor to road deaths and injuries and so Garda enforcement activity will also be prioritised on drink driving,” he added.

Over last year’s May bank holiday weekend a total of 346 people were arrested for drink driving. The figure over the three days of the weekend was almost double the normal weekly amount. Between Monday April 21st this year and Sunday April 27th last, a total of 360 drink driving incidents were recorded.

Gardaí also warned that tiredness contributes to road deaths and injuries and therefore motorists on long journeys have been advised to plan in advance and to stop if they feel tired.

The weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Dublin airport will see more than 270,000 passengers pass through its doors between tomorrow and Monday. More than 2,300 flighrs will arrive and depart during the three days, including 180 charter holiday flight.