Drink drivers face fast-track ban

MOTORISTS arrested over the bank holiday weekend for drink driving may be off the road as early as tomorrow in a new fast-track approach to prosecutions.

The garda authorities have sent an instruction to stations around the country that, from now on, when a person fails the intoxilyser breath test, they should be charged immediately, rather than being sent a summons at a later date. The instruction comes in the wake of the green light issued by the courts for the use of the intoxilyser following the failure of a number of legal challenges to its use.

Gardaí said that drivers who failed the intoxilyser at the weekend have been charged and will appear in court as early as tomorrow.