Gardaí warn 'extremely dangerous driving must be stopped' following Easter operation
The operation saw 2,630 drivers were detected for speeding offences
Gardaí have clamped down on "dangerous driving" after an Easter operation uncovered "irresponsible" driving on the roads.
Throughout the Easter bank holiday weekend, an extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation was in place between 7am on Thursday, March 28 to 7am this morning Tuesday, April 2.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: "There were three fatalities on our roads during this period and 13 serious collisions took place that resulted in people receiving serious and life-threatening injuries. Since January 1, 58 people have been killed on Irish roads and there have been 16 more lives lost in road traffic collisions than this time last year.
Over this bank holiday period, An Garda Síochána carried out more than 1,070 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints. Over 5,000 roadside drug and alcohol tests were conducted which led to 177 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Over a quarter of these arrests occurred between 8am and 2pm. In the past 24 hours (7am Monday -7am Tuesday) 36 people were arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant."
The spokesperson confirmed that "throughout the weekend, more than 2,630 drivers were detected for speeding offences."
Notable top speeds detected in each speed zone include:
- 126km/h in a 50km/h zone on the Tonglee Road in Dublin 5
- 104km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R238 at Buncrana, Co Donegal
- 124km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R458 at Kilcolgan, Co Galway
- 136km/h in a 100km/h on the N25 at Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford
- 193km/h in a 120km/h zone on the M1 at Bellewstown, Co Meath
Fixed Charge Offences for other road offences during this period included:
• Using Mobile Phones – more than 220
• No seatbelts – 77
Chief Superintendent, Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: "The past weekend was another very busy period on Irish roads, and a lot of people will be on the move again this week with many schools off for the midterm break. Gardaí nationwide continue do all that they can to ensure that road users are safe and that those who break road traffic laws are detected, but the issues on our roads at present require the attention of every single person.
"Every driver is responsible for their own driving behaviour and there is no excuse whatsoever to get behind the wheel of a car under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Keep your eyes always on the road - there is no valid reason to drive while distracted by your phone and that includes swiping on apps or paying attention to a map on your device.
"We are seeing some extremely dangerous driving behaviour that must be stopped. Slow down. Be patient and be mindful of your actions while in control of the vehicle you’re driving. Responsible driving habits keep yourself and other road users safe. It is as simple as that.”