‘Huge increase’ in drink driving

EVEN before the Chirstmas/New Year crackdown on drink driving gets under way, a Limerick garda district yesterday reported a 26% increase in the incidents of drink driving so far this year.

Supt Frank O’Brien, head of the Roxboro Road district which includes both urban and rural areas, said: “It is a huge increase, when one considers all the campaigns that are ongoing to create more public awareness about drink driving and the accidents and fatalities it leads to. Unfortunately people are not taking heed of the message. They are taking the chance and paying the penalty.”

He said they have ongoing traffic operations to crack down on drink driving and these will be intensified for the Christmas/New Year period.