Spike in road deaths blamed on fewer Garda checkpoints

Fewer checkpoints and surveillance is “probably one of the reasons” why road deaths have spiked by 20% this year, according to Transport Minister Shane Ross.

His comments come as new Garda figures show that drink-driving arrests have jumped by almost one third this Christmas, with more than 500 people arrested in the past three weeks.

Mr Ross said it was now a crisis situation in the area of road safety and said new laws to test for drug driving and to tackle uninsured driving would come into force in the next few weeks.