Almost 800 arrests for drink driving over Christmas and New Year

Figures released today show that there were 790 arrests for 'driving while intoxicated' during the Christmas and New Year period.

An Garda Síochána's Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign for 2020 commenced on December 4, 2020 and concluded on January 5, 2021.

The campaign had a primary focus on mandatory intoxicant testing – detecting those who drive having consumed alcohol or drugs.

Despite reduced traffic for certain periods over Christmas, the numbers detected for driving under the influence has remained high.

Gardaí arrested 790 drivers for driving while intoxicated during the period from December 4, 2020 until January 5, 2021.

Sadly, there were ten fatalities on Irish roads during this period. This compares with 16 for the same dates in 2019.

In 2020, there were a total of 148 fatalities on Irish roads. This compares with 140 in 2019, an overall increase of 6 per cent (though figures are provisional and subject to change).

As another key part of the safety campaign, gardaí conducted a "National Slow Down Day” on December 11/12 last to detect those speeding on our roads.

The operation consisted of high visibility speed enforcement across the 1,300 speed enforcement zones, as well as the delivery of a road safety message through national, local and social media.

In total, An Garda Síochána and GoSafe checked 186,125 vehicles and detected 892 vehicles travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.

For 2021, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Roads Policing and Community Engagement Bureau, continues to appeal to all road users to remember the basics of road safety.

"The message is clear, never drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or a combination of both," she said.

"We also ask that drivers increase their compliance with speed limits in order to lower speed related collisions. This will reduce injuries on our roads and save lives."

Key figures

*790 Driving While Intoxicated arrests

*14,780 Speeding detections

*12,858 Breath tests carried out

*5,513 Checkpoints performed

*1096 Fixed Charge Notices issued for mobile phones

*314 FCNs issued for seatbelts