Garda arrested 12 people in county Tipperary between December 18th and January 1st as part of the Christmas and New Year Road Safety Enforcement Operation. The drivers were arrested on suspicion of drink and or drugs/drink driving.
During the operation Gardaí conducted 8,199 checkpoints nationwide, 4,679 of which were for Mandatory Intoxicant Testing. An Garda Síochána arrested a total of 818 drivers on suspicion of Driving under the Influence of an Intoxicant. A quarter of these arrests were for the suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs having failed a roadside DrugWipe test.
Since December 1st 15,542 drivers were detected and fined for speeding offences, over 1,000 for the use of a mobile phone while driving and 291 for not wearing a seatbelt.
Gardaí say they will continue to focus on these types of offences with an aim of keeping all road users safe.
An increase in fatalities and fatal crashes in 2023 has led to intensified efforts to improve road safety. The Government, in collaboration with An Garda Siochana and the Road Safety Authority are to deliver a number of actions in a bid to reduce the number of deaths. These measures include changes to speed limits, mandatory drugs testing for drivers involved in collisions and increases in the penalties for drivers found to have committed road traffic offences. 16 people died in road collisions in county Tipperary in 2023.
