In a study by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, nearly two-thirds of motorists hospitalised after accidents last year had drunk twice the legal alcohol limit, or more.
Samples were taken from 235 drivers hospitalised after accidents, an 8.5 per cent increase in the number taken on the previous year.
"Some 60.9 per cent of these had alcohol concentrations in excess of 150mg/100ml of blood, or 200mg/100ml of urine, while 31.1 per cent [of the total tested] were in excess of 200mg/100ml blood or 267mg/100ml urine," the bureau report noted.
More than 12,000 blood, urine and breath alcohol samples from suspected drunken drivers were investigated last year by the bureau, which is based in University College Dublin.
The number of blood and urine samples tested was 1,160, down on the 2001 figure because of the extra use of the Intoxilyzer breath tests by the Garda Síochána.
Nearly 3,800 blood and urine samples taken from drivers were tested for alcohol during 2002, and 2,304 of these were found to be above the legal limit.
The number of breath tests taken was up 17 per cent on 2001, to 8,945.
Eighty-one per cent were found to be over the legal limit, while 31 per cent of the total were over twice the limit.
However, prosecutions were not taken under Section 17 of the Road Traffic Act in 1,178 cases, according to the bureau's 2002 annual report published yesterday.
Twenty extra Intoxilyzer 6000IRL machines, known more properly as Evidential Breath Testing, were installed in Garda stations during 2002.
Under road-traffic law, drivers lose their licences for a year if they are found to have between 100mg and 150mg of alcohol in their systems on their first offence.
The penalty is increased to two years if a driver has more than 150mg/100ml of alcohol, while judges can ban drivers for four years if they are caught a second time.
