GARDAÍ catch a drink-driving motorist every day on average, figures obtained by Donegal Daily show.
More than 160 have been detected over the limit since the start of this year – a jump of 14 per cent on last year.
Even last Bank Holiday weekend, six drivers were arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving, despite a public Garda warning BEFORE the weekend started that they were planning a series of Mandatory Alcohol Test checkpoints.
The number of arrests last weekend was down on the same bank holiday weekend last year when ten people were arrested.
But the overall drink-drive crime wave is upwards.
Recently the Head of Traffic for the county Inspector Michael Harrison suggested that some people believed they could get off when they appeared in court – while the conviction rate in Donegal courts is extremely high.
Moyagh Murdock, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority, has warned that the continued drink-drive habit has to be tackled.
“This is deeply worrying,” she said.
“While the majority of people in this country do the right thing, it is shocking to see that alcohol is still a significant factor.
“It shows that while we all understand in theory that we shouldn’t drink and drive or walk home drunk, we still have not fully eradicated the practice in Ireland, and even more harrowing was the sheer number of young people – young men in particular – who lost their lives on our roads as a result of alcohol in the past few years.”
Another series of checkpoints are planned across Donegal this weekend.
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