High numbers of intoxicated drivers caught ‘the morning after’, gardaí warn ahead of bank holiday

Gardaí have warned that many motorists who test positive for driving while intoxicated during the Easter weekend are caught over the legal limit at checkpoints the morning after socialising.

Garda figures show the highest number of drink- or drug-drivers were traditionally caught on the Sunday of the Easter bank holiday weekend, at a quarter of arrests.

Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries, in the Garda national roads policing bureau, said road deaths were “unfortunately up” to date this year.

“We know that during the Easter period that for every 25 people arrested for intoxication [while driving], four are during the period of the morning after”, she said.

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“One of the most at-risk times is actually the Tuesday after the Easter Monday, that’s probably when people are travelling back home during that time,” she said.

Speaking on Thursday, Chief Supt Humphries said cases of drug-driving were “certainly on the increase” recently.

When it came to driving the morning after a night spent socialising, she urged motorists to err on the side of caution.

“If you’re not sure then simply don’t drive, it is not worth taking that chance, you could lose your licence and lose your livelihood and worst still you could lose your life,” she said.

“It’s really stressing that message: Make sure you have a safe way home and that you make allowances for the morning after as well,” she said.

“The arrests for intoxication are up almost half between late evening and early morning, so those are some of the periods of risk,” she said.

“Road deaths this year are unfortunately up, any death on the road is one too many and it is simply just not acceptable,” she said.

Gardaí in road traffic units will be conducting high visibility checkpoints and carrying out extra patrols over the weekend, she said.

[ Road deaths increase against previous years, with 45 killed so far in 2023 ]

To date this year 45 people have died in road traffic collisions, an increase of two compared to the same period last year.

During the Easter bank holiday weekend last year gardaí made 111 arrests for drink-driving and 73 arrests for drug-driving.

Garda figures showed the highest number of arrests for driving while intoxicated were between 9pm and 3am.

While the figures outlined the peak period for traffic crashes was between 3pm and 6pm.

“That’s when there’s a higher volume of traffic on the road, people might be a little bit rushed, rushing to get somewhere. We know that most collisions on the road are preventable,” Chief Supt Humphries said.

“Coming into the Easter holidays we all know the roads become very busy and with it comes the risk of a collision,” she added.