Sixty-nine motorists were arrested over the weekend for suspected drink-driving by gardaí using new legislative powers providing for random breath-testing.
According to a Garda spokesman, gardai set up 676 checkpoints between 10pm on Friday evening and 6am this morning and mandatorily tested 3,904 motorists.
Drivers who found over the limit of 80mg face between three months and four years off the road. Motorists who refuse to accept a breath-test face a two-year ban.
This weekend was the first in which the provisions of the Road Traffic Act (2006) were available to gardai. The legislation was signed into law last week by the Minister for Transport.
The Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy said under the law gardai will now establish checkpoints outside pubs.
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