Up to 35 arrests a day over drink-driving

UP TO 35 people a day have been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving under the Garda Christmas crackdown.

Despite the publicity, gardaí say an extra 20 people are being arrested each week compared to the same period last year.

A total of 499 people were arrested by gardaí in the past two weeks.

Last year, the average number of arrests in the same period was 230 per week.

The majority of those arrested are middle-aged men, a group which seems to be persistent offenders.

National Safety Council spokesman Pat Costello said: “Too many drivers are getting the advice but are not taking it. People living in cities have the option of buses and taxis and they have the DART in Dublin. People in the country should get hackneys or taxis or even better, use a designated driver.”

He said it was hard to tell if the rise in drink-driving arrests was down to increased gardaí enforcement or an increase in the number of people driving under the influence of alcohol.

Last year, there were 12,846 people arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, of which over 90% were convicted of the offence. It is believed the number of detections this year will exceed the 2001 total.

Automobile Association spokesman Conor Faughnan said the figures may represent just a proportion of those driving under the influence.

“It is horrifying to hear there is still a whole population out there willing to take risks,” Mr Faughnan said.

“It is fair to assume that the people being caught are just the tip of the iceberg.”

However, both the National Safety Council and the AA have welcomed the apparent reduction in speed on the roads, which has been sparked by the introduction of the penalty points system. Speeding has been dramatically reduced throughout the country, with detections down by an average of over 50%.

A sample taken from different traffic corps throughout the country showed Cork recording the highest drop of 80%. Waterford came in with a 50% reduction, and Limerick was at 40%.

Cork City Traffic Corps Inspector Peter Callanan said that prior to the introduction of penalty points, his units were detecting up to 140 speeding offences each week.

However, he said the number of offences now averaged just over 80 per week.

“There has been a huge drop in speeding. We’re hoping it’s not just a knee-jerk reaction and we will keep up enforcement,” Inspector Peter Callanan said.

Pat Costello said it was good news that there were 24 less deaths on the road so far this year compared to the same period in 2001.

“We must compliment drivers for that.

“It’s also probably due to a combination of the TV campaign, garda enforcement and the introduction of the penalty points system,” Mr Costello said.

He said there was still no room for complacency, as there were still several days to go before the end of the year.

“Even a small reduction in speed has a big impact on the seriousness of crashes,” Mr Costello said.