More than 1,000 motorists arrested in drink-driving crackdown
More than 1,000 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in the last four weeks as part of the annual holiday period road safety crackdown.
Figures released by the Gardaí last night showed that 1,122 people had been arrested for suspected drink-driving since the crackdown began a month ago.
Two hundred and twenty-one of these motorists were arrested in the last week alone.
The total number of drink-driving arrests is up 5% on the figures for the same period last year. There was also an increase of 45% in the number of motorists breath-tested during this year's festive campaign.
Meanwhile, the garda figures also showed that the number of people killed on Ireland's roads so far this year is 13% higher than last year.
A total of 379 people have died in road accidents in 2004, up from 335 in 2003.
