In relation to the 4 day bank holiday period, 29th July to 1st August inclusive the following figures apply.
Number of fatalities – 2
(There were also 2 fatalities for the same period 2015)
Number of serious injury collisions - 8
(There were 3 serious injury collisions for the same period in 2015)
Number of persons arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence – 165
(128 for the same period last year)
Number of MAT checkpoints performed – 1,060
(1,032 for the same period last year)
Number of persons breath tested – 7,364
(6,087 for the same period last year)
719 persons arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in July 2016 compared to 608 arrests in July 2015 (+18%).
August will also target intoxicated driving with specific 24 hour operations.
Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said:
"21 people lost their life on our roads in July, the highest of any month this year so far. 2 people lost their life and there were 8 serious injury collisions over the bank holiday weekend. We urgently appeal to every road user to take extra care on the roads and realise you have a personal responsibility when you get behind the wheel . Slow down, wear your seatbelt, put the mobile away and in particular, never ever drink and drive’.
Of the 108 deaths on our roads so far this year, 24 were passenger. Before the bank holiday weekend, Chief Superintendent Reid emphasised to passengers to ‘never allow themselves to be carried in a car where the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs’ and he would again like to reiterate that statement.
An Garda Siochana would like to thank the 7,000 plus drivers who drove responsibly without alcohol and passed through our MAT checkpoints. Unfortunately, 165 people didn’t heed our appeal in relation to drink driving over the bank holiday and they will now have to face the consequences of their actions. Drink driving arrests for July are 18% up compared to July 2015. These people show total disregard for their own lives and the lives of other road users but it also shows considerable Garda activity, which will continue into August with more targeted operations.
Safer roads are everyone’s business – please play your part in making them so
Note:
Figures for speeding, mobile phones and non use of safety belts are not available at this time. Two incidents of note on @gardatraffic
171kph in 100kph zone on the N2, Monaghan
126kph in a 60kph zone on the Naas Road
Previous Press Release and photographs
