Gardaí arrested 36 people three times last year for drink/drug-driving

The latest annual report from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety found that males are responsible for 85% of all detections. 

A total of 36 people were arrested three times last year for drink/drug driving while 172 drivers were arrested twice, new figures show.

The figures have prompted a call by the head of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) for fresh efforts to be made to tackle repeat and high-risk offenders.

The bureau's latest annual report says while alcohol is still the most frequently detected intoxicant in drivers, "the frequent finding of combinations of drugs and drugs with alcohol continued to be of concern." 

It also found that the youngest arrested driver was just 14 years old, while the oldest was 96.

The bureau said that cannabis, cocaine and benzodiazepines were the three most commonly detected substances in driver samples behind alcohol, with those driving under the influence of cannabis and cocaine often "well in excess of the legal limits set by the Oireachtas".

Writing in the foreword of the 2022 report, MBRS Director Dr Denis Cusack said of repeat offenders: "In 2022, 36 drivers were arrested three times and 172 drivers were arrested twice. The issue of repeat and high-risk DUI offenders requires to be addressed legislatively, in the prosecutorial process and also in medical rehabilitation. This needs to be done co-operatively by the bureau and a number of other bodies."

The bureau provides a national forensic scientific and medical service in intoxicant detection and research and received 5,622 specimens for analysis last year — lower than in 2021 but still higher than the numbers pre-covid. There were 3,821 driver’s breath-tested on Evidenzers in Garda Stations.

The rate of road deaths and injury increased last year and is on track to increase further in 2023, with the Government working on new measures to reduce the carnage on Irish roads. The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, said this week that greater use of average speed cameras to reduce crashes was required.

The MBRS, which is based in University College Dublin, said in its report that last year a total of 5,622 blood and urine specimens were received for alcohol and/or drug testing. Of these, 3,793 proceeded to Toxicology for further drug screening. There were 3,821 driver’s breath-tested on Evidenzers in Garda Stations.

The peak times for detection were 10pm to 1am, and then 1am to 4am, with Saturday and Sunday the busiest days. The absolute peak time was 1am to 2am on Sunday mornings.

According to the report, 78% of total arrested drivers are under 45 years of age, with those aged 25 to 34 comprising the greatest percentage of arrested drivers.

"The youngest arrested driver was 14 years old and the oldest was 96 years old," it said. "The youngest male driver was 14 years old and the youngest female driver was 15 years old."

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Males are responsible for 85% of all detections but the percentage of samples from women has increased across the last three years.

The highest alcohol level found in blood was 415mg/100ml, where the current limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, and in urine was 479mg/100ml, where the legal limit is 67mg/100ml. There were 3,793 specimens analysed for the presence of a drug or drugs last year, a 12.2% decrease on the number of specimens analysed in 2021.

The report also noted that last year saw the the launch of the new roadside drug-testing device, the Securetec DW6S preliminary drug-testing system, which can test for cannabis, cocaine, benzodiazepines, opiates, amphetamine and methamphetamine at the roadside.

"The new system will increase the detection capacity of the Gardaí for drug-intoxicated driving," it said.