235 drink- or drug-drivers arrested over bank holiday weekend, gardaí say

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said the numbers arrested for drink- or drug-driving were 'really disappointing considering the volume of media commentary, public commentary that is going on around safety on our roads, road deaths and behaviour on our roads'. File picture: Stephen Collins/Collins

A total of 235 drink- or drug-drivers were arrested over the bank holiday weekend, according to gardaí.

In addition, more than 5,000 people were caught speeding in a St Patrick’s holiday safety blitz that saw up to 700 people being caught speeding every day.

This was 200 a day more speeding drivers than the average daily tally across 2025.

There were six people killed during the timescale of the blitz, bringing the total number of road fatalities this year to 38 — an increase of six compared to the same date last year.

Over the course of the operation, a further 500 drivers were detected for mobile phone and seat belt offences.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland the numbers arrested for drink- or drug-driving were "really disappointing considering the volume of media commentary, public commentary that is going on around safety on our roads, road deaths and behaviour on our roads".

“Even when there was an increased enforcement campaign, people were still taking that risk to drive and passengers were getting into cars with some of those individuals as well. Again, that's disappointing," he said.

"In 2025 on average, we would have been detecting about 500 people a day speeding — over the last weekend it has been in excess of 700 drivers every day speeding.

“When you look at some of those speeds, for example, 112km/h in a 50km/h on the R183 in Monaghan, that's motorway speed limits being driven on a small urban road in a built-up area.”

He said it was a big concern that despite the announcement of additional Garda checkpoints, there was still “such a high volume of people” taking the chance of speeding and driving while under the influence.

He added: “Six people have died on our roads since we last started talking about this last Wednesday in Kerry at the road safety conference.

“There seems to be a disconnect somewhere between people who are using our roads and their own view.

We will hear people saying they agree about how terrible it is with what's going on our roads. I know 12% of motorists admit they drive while under the influence of alcohol, 25% or more believe driving a short distance after drinking is still acceptable.

“But then they [say] it's terrible that people are dying on our roads.”

Supt Geraghty defended the number of gardaí assigned to roads policing, saying there were now 647 persons full time involved in roads policing, which is down from 692 in 2022 and down from 730 in 2020.

Of the current strength, he said: “Roads policing is very much supported by every uniform and plainclothes member of An Gardaí Síochána.

“Even if 14,500 members of An Garda Síochána were all out on our roads, there will still be thousands of kilometres of roads where there won't be garda visibility."