Drivers warned about drink driving

MOTORISTS were warned last night to slow down, belt up and not to drink and drive as the June bank holiday exodus started on our roads.

Gardaí will set up checkpoints in towns, national and rural roads to keep drink drivers off the road and prevent speeding.

Random breath testing would be carried out throughout the weekend, Garda traffic chiefs said.

“It’s up to every road users to exercise personal responsibility for their actions on the road.

“We’d appeal to drivers to have a designated driver if they plan to drink.

“Ourselves, we’ll be conducting mandatory alcohol testing throughout the weekend with the additional resources we have. We’re not trying to catch people but to change driving culture on the road,” explained Garda Traffic Corps Superintendent Declan O’Brien.

“Unfortunately, you get certain categories of drivers who are selfish... we attend to them,” he added.

ATM machines will display driver fatigue and road safety messages this weekend in an effort to encourage road users to drive safely.

By yesterday, 111 people had died on Irish roads so far this year.

This is slightly lower than the first five months of 2007, when 134 people lost their lives.

Four people died in road traffic accidents over last year’s June bank holiday.

So far this year, 110,000 fines and penalty points have been handed out by gardaí for irresponsible driving such as speeding, holding a phone behind the wheel and not wearing seat belts.

Meanwhile, droves of travellers are keen to escape to hotter climates.

Aer Arann will carry 15,000 customers on flights to destinations at home and abroad, its busiest June bank holiday weekend ever.

Ryanair is expecting to carry one million passengers across 665 routes.

At home, punters were arriving in Kilkenny for the Cat Laughs comedy festival, while in Trim, Co Meath, preparations are under way for a literary festival.

Music fans are travelling to Doonbeg, Co Clare, for its international jazz weekend, and to Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, for the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival.

Rail services in Cork and Kerry returned to normal yesterday following eight days of unofficial strike action by train drivers. Iarnród Éireann said its network would be fully operational over the weekend.