ALTHOUGH A RECORD number of breath tests were administered by gardaà last year the number of motorists that were caught drinking driving fell by more than 40 per cent.
The decline is proof that stricter drink-driving laws are having an effect of motorists’ behaviour, one senior garda said. However, according to the figures, seen by the Irish Times, there was a decline in random breath tests over Christmas and New Year’s – which is a reversal of normal enforcement procedures.
There was an increase of nine per cent in the number of random testing on the previous year, however the number of drink-driving motorists detected fell by 41 per cent.
The decline in the detection of drink driving rates occurred during the same period as the decline of road deaths.
Road Safety Authority chief executive Noel Brett said that the severe frost and snow that affected the country over the holiday period made it unsafe for gardaà to remain at checkpoints, and may explain why the rate of testing fell during this period.
Read more in Conor Lally’s Irish Times report >
Increasing amounts of sunshine
Max: 20 °C
Min: 8 °C
Some sun
Max: 21 °C
Min: 10 °C
Comments (1 Comment)