Updated 4.33pm

22 PEOPLE WERE arrested on suspicion of drink-driving each day over the Christmas period, gardaí have confirmed.

The figures cover the entire 5-week Christmas Enforcement Campaign, which began on 1 December and concluded on 5 January.

The greatest number of arrests happened on New Year’s Day, with 45 motorists detained. 11 people were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving on Christmas Day.

“These people put themselves and others at significant risk,” Assistant Commissioner John Twomey told reporters at Harcourt Street this afternoon.

“They may now face considerable penalties, which could easily have been avoided had they heeded the many safety warnings that have gone out as part of this campaign in particular.”

Over 44,000 drivers were breath-tested at over 8,000 MAT (Mandatory Alcohol Testing) checkpoints during the enforcement period.

‘Complex question’

A total of 78,290 checkpoints were mounted throughout 2013 — an increase of over six thousand on 2012.

Meanwhile, the latest provisional figures for traffic-related deaths show 190 people lost their lives on the roads last year. That’s an increase of 28 on the previous 12 months.

Twomey said wasn’t possible to make a direct connection between the figure relating to checkpoints and the rise in road deaths, and that is was a “complex question”:

(Youtube: TheJournal.ie)

There’s been a significant drop in the number of drink-drive related arrests in the past six years. 7,962 such arrests were made in the last 12 months, down from over 18 thousand in 2008.

The number of MAT checkpoints carried out over the same period has increased significantly. Over 20,000 more road checks were mounted last year, compared to the 2008 figure.

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First posted 4.15pm