More than 600 drink- driving arrests

MORE THAN 600 motorists were arrested for drink driving over the Christmas and new year period, provisional figures from An Garda Síochána indicate.

The figures show that 307 motorists were arrested for failing the alcohol breathalyser test in the week between December 29th and January 4th, while the previous week including Christmas Day, 321 people had failed the breathalyser test, giving a provisional total of 628 for the holiday period.

Figures for how many of these people went on to be charged with driving while over the legal alcohol limit are not yet available.

The provisional figures compare with 657 such arrests in the fortnight around Christmas in 2007/08.

Final figures for the entire year are not yet available.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that in the first three quarters of last year there were 14,862 recorded cases of people caught driving while over the legal alcohol limit, compared with 13,699 to the end of September this year.

There were a total of 4,976 recorded cases of drink-driving arrests in the final quarter of last year. The annual figure has risen consistently since 2004, when there were 12,168 recorded cases of drink-driving.

In 2005 the figure was 14,076, which rose to 18,602 in 2006. in 2007 the total was 19,838.

Recorded instances of driving while under the influence of drugs have also increased steadily, from 77 in 2004, to 106 in 2005, to 117 in 2006 and 258 in 2007, according to the CSO.

Figures for driving while over the legal limit during the Christmas period in the North will be published by the end of the week, a PSNI spokesman said yesterday.