Crack down on drink driving to be intensified

Since January 86 people have been killed on the roads - 11 more than last year.

The drink driving enforcement and education campaign will be continued until August, with the summer months of July and August being traditionally high risk for drink driving.

A spokesperson for the Garda National Traffic Bureau has said motorists can expect to see a lot more check points, breath testing and arrests for drink driving over the coming months.

Superintendent Con O’Donoghue said that people have “lapsed into their old ways” and are drink driving more.

Particularly the younger generation have not taken heed of the dangers which drink driving presents to themselves and others, with 30 per cent of people arrested for drinking driving aged between 21 and 29.

He expressed his disappointment at this but said that the gardaí would be “upping the ante” to stamp out the problem.

“We’re going to treat the summer months in many ways like the Christmas period and we’re stepping up our enforcement in terms of drink driving with a number of 24-hour operations over the coming months, because July and August also tend to be very high when it comes to fatal collisions, so people can expect to see a lot more checkpoints, a lot more breath testing and a lot more arrests for drink driving.”

He added his belief that gardaí and the RSA can combat the problem together. He also urged for the public to play an active role in reducing the dangers of drink drivers by reporting anyone they suspect to be driving under the influence.

“It’s very important that people take personal responsibility.

“We would like people to realise that this hasn’t gone away and they won’t be complacent.

“And the hard decision is sometimes to leave the car at home but also the hard decision is also not to allow the person who’s had the drink to drive, or to report that person.

“It’s an easy decision to sit back and turn a blind eye.”