Drink driving crackdown in run up to Christmas
Gardaí will be mounting high profile checkpoints this weekend in a major clampdown on drink drivers in the run up to Christmas.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Eddie Rock vowed gardaí would be targeting accident blackspots in a bid to stop people driving under the influence of drink or drugs and speeding.
“Our enforcement is going to be ramped up and up and up, until such a time as we force the compliance culture, no matter what we have to do we have to force people into a better compliance culture,” the assistant commissioner at the Garda Traffic Corps said.
“That is in relation to the drink driving, the penalty points and the dangerous driving.”
The assistant commissioner said visible garda checkpoints would be mounted on roads and in areas with high accident rates.
“This will commence in the lead up to Christmas which is a particular time again of the year which causes tragedy for so many families,” he said, on the crackdown which will run in conjunction with a campaign from National Safety Council.
Mr Rock said there was a significant increase of 50% in the number of people arrested for drink driving on the October Bank Holiday weekend.
“There is an increase in drink driving and we are again trying to create the compliance culture,” he said.
Mr Rock said there would be 240 officers in the garda traffic unit next year - a 50% increase in resources.
“So it is not a question of resources, but it is a question of personal behaviour by people out there and it is a question of them acting responsibly,” he told RTE Radio.
“Now I know the vast majority of motorists are very, very compliant. But it is the small percentage of people, not just in relation to the drink driving but in relation to the downright bad behaviour on the roads, who are creating the problems on roads, and creating the deaths on roads and such hardship and trauma and torment for families.”
He warned people should not be growing less concerned about acquiring penalty points on their licence for behaviour on the roads.
Mr Rock said the check-points were also taking into account the times when drink driving was taking place.
“Indeed, we are talking about 80% to 85% of the drink driving arrests between 9pm and 6am. So that is where we are focusing our resources,” he said.
