“We are targeting intoxicated drivers 24/7.”
Well over 400 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving in Ireland in the last 18 days as An Garda Síochána continue their crackdown throughout the country.
On Monday (17 December), An Garda Síochána revealed that there have been 445 arrests on suspicion of intoxicated driving since 30 November, 218 of which have been in the last week.
Since the 30th November, there have been 445 arrests on suspicion of intoxicated driving.
218 of those were in the last week alone.
205 arrests occurred between 11pm and 4am and a further 43 arrests occurred between 9am and 12pm.
We are targeting intoxicated drivers 24/7. pic.twitter.com/BDUU3Bkzre
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) December 17, 2018
The majority of arrests (205) have been made between the hours of 11pm and 4am, while a further 43 arrests occurred between 9am and 12pm, a period when motorists are often in danger of being over the limit if they consumed alcohol the night before.
New laws governing drink-driving in Ireland came into effect at the end of October, which determined that all drink drivers, without exception, will receive a driving disqualification, removing the concession in previous legislation by which some drink drivers had been able to receive penalty points instead of a disqualification.
The drink driving limit in Ireland is 50mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, however, for “specified drivers”, a lower limit of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood applies.
A “specified driver” includes learner drivers, novice drivers, professional and commercial drivers.
It is an offence to drive, attempt to drive or be in charge of a vehicle in Ireland if you don’t have proper control of the vehicle due to the consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Remember, it takes about one hour for each unit of alcohol to pass through the average person’s system. One unit equals half a pint of beer, a small measure of spirits or a small glass of wine.
