RSA worry about drink-driving enforcement as number of breath tests drop 18%

The Road Safety Authority has expressed serious concern about “a significant decline” in drink-driving enforcement levels by gardaí, as figures show the number of breath tests carried out on motorists last year decreased by 18%.

A total of 327,450 motorists were breathalysed at roadside checkpoints in 2015 compared to 397,513 the previous year — a decrease of over 70,000 tests.

The reduction in breath tests was also accompanied by a 12% drop in the number of drivers found over the legal alcohol limit. Gardaí detected 6,794 cases of suspected drink driving last year — 903 fewer than in 2014. RSA chairwoman Liz O’Donnell described the scale of the decrease in such enforcement levels as “a worrying development”.