The number of people arrested for drink-driving was 17 per cent higher this Christmas compared with 2001, according to figures released by the gardaí this afternoon.
However, the number of people who died during the holiday period was lower, with 28 people killed on the roads during the six-week period compared with 50 deaths in the comparable period during 2001.
During the Garda Christmas and new year road safety campaign 1,449 motorists were arrested for drink-driving; more than 45,000 were stopped at checkpoints.
This compares with 1,238 arrests during the previous year's campaign in which about 42,500 were stopped.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), alcohol is a factor in one in three crashes and will be a factor in 40 per cent of crashes that prove fatal.
On average, 230 drivers a week were arrested for drink-driving in the State last year.
