GARDAÍ HAVE CAUGHT more than 1,200 drivers for speeding offences so far this Bank Holiday weekend.

A total of 48 people were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant – alcohol and drugs – as part of a special heightened roads policing operation that commenced at 7am yesterday and that will last until 7am Tuesday.

According to a Garda Press Office statemment this morning, during the first 48 hours of the operation, there were no fatalities as a result of traffic collisions on our roads.

During this period, close to 110 drivers were detected holding a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

Notable speeds detected yesterday include:

• 82 km/h in a 50km/hr zone on the R180 Mount Brown, Dublin 8
• 90 km/h in a 60km/hr zone on the N4, Carrick On Shannon, Co. Roscommon
• 147 km/h in an 80km/hr zone on the R245, Milford, Co. Donegal
• 141 km/h in a 100km/hr zone on the N25, Ballyadam, Co. Cork

The total number of fatalities on Irish roads this year is 55.

Throughout this weekend’s policing operation, gardaí are conducting both statutory Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) and regular, high-visibility policing checkpoints.

“Every member of An Garda Síochána on-duty this long weekend will be out conducting road traffic enforcement activity,” a garda spokesperson said in this morning’s update.

“Gardaí will be placing a particular emphasis on detecting those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs this weekend.”