Gardaí arrest 25 on first night of bank holiday road safety operation

On Thursday night alone, 25 people had already been arrested for drink and drug driving on foot of the operation. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Gardaí have launched a nationwide road safety operation to run this August bank holiday weekend, which is set to run until Wednesday morning.

On Thursday night alone, 25 people had already been arrested for drink- and drug-driving on foot of the operation.

Speaking to reporters outside Navan, assistant commissioner for roads policing Paula Hilman urged drivers to slow down over a weekend where road users are at a higher risk of being involved in a fatal or serious crash.

“And our message really to all road users is to share the road safely, to look out for one another. Especially if you're heading away to an event. Especially vulnerable road users, those pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists," she said.

She urged people who are travelling to plan their journey and take into account road and weather conditions. Asst Cmr Hilman was speaking as the latest figures show road deaths so far in 2023 are at their worst level in years.

She said that, generally speaking, speeding was a major factor contributing to road crashes. She cited examples such as detecting a driver going 138km/hr in a 50km zone, adding that 77,500 people have been found speeding so far this year.

Asst Cmr Hilman also said that there has been an increase in young people aged between 16 and 25 beingkilled on the roads, and also singled out the impact of drink- and drug-driving on the roads.

The most common illegal drugs detected at checkpoints are cocaine and cannabis, with drink-driving detected at a higher rate between midnight and 3am on bank holidays.

'Slow down'

“I think it’s that combination but we know what causes road traffic collisions, but the really key message is to slow down,” she said.

Asst Cmr Hilman said that the overall numbers of gardaí in road policing divisions across the country are down on what they were a decade ago, but said they are working hard to increase those numbers.

She said the tasking of roads policing gardaí is evidence-based and information-based and about having them in the “right places at the right time for the offences that we’ve talked about”.

The senior garda said the campaign would run to Wednesday morning because “some of the highest risk times are today [Friday] and Monday and Tuesday coming back from wherever you’ve been on your time away”.

She also said that local divisional policing plans have been put in place for the likes of the Indiependence music festival in Cork and All Together Now in Waterford.

Referencing the crash in Monaghan that led to the deaths of Kiea McCann (17) and Dlava Mohamed (16), she said: “The tragic and sad collision in Clones on Monday night is very much in our minds.

“And it’s brought to the fore the really personal impact and tragedy we see by deaths on our roads. Our thoughts and sympathies are very much with the families of Kiea and Dlava, and their friends and community.”