Drink driving arrests in the city last weekend were double what they would be on an average weekend during the year.
Eight people who were breathalysed as part of the gardai’s festive safe-driving campaign in the city last weekend were found to be over the legal alcohol limit. And, despite extensive media campaigns, at least two or three people have been arrested for drink driving every night this week.
Extra personnel have been deployed to the Traffic Corps for the Christmas period, a spokesperson for Waterford Garda Station confirmed to The Munster Express. “These officers are out in force at checkpoints across the city and county and will continue to be so throughout Christmas, including early morning checkpoints. We would urge people to make alternative arrangements for getting home when going on a night out and bear in mind that they could still be over the limit when driving to work the next morning.”
The Christmas campaign will see accident blackspots targeted, with hundreds of gardai manning checkpoints over the festive season.
Last year, 38 people lost their lives on Irish roads during the month of December, with 18 people killed or seriously injured over the Christmas period alone. A recent HSE study into drink driving in Ireland found that 2 out of every 3 alcohol related crashes occur between 10pm on Friday night and 8am on Monday mornings.
