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Throughout the May Bank Holiday Weekend, an extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation was in place between 7am on Thursday, 2nd of May 2024 to 7am this morning Tuesday, 7th May 2024.

There was one fatality on our roads during this period and nine serious injury collisions took place that resulted in ten people receiving serious and life-threatening injuries.

Since 1st January 2024, 71 people have been killed on Irish roads – 15 more lives lost in road traffic collisions than this time last year.

Over this Bank Holiday period, An Garda Síochána carried out more than 1,090 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints.

5,349 roadside drug and alcohol tests were conducted by Gardaí which led to the arrest of 196 people for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. That’s one arrest during each hour of our enforcement operation.

Throughout the weekend, Gardaí detected over 900 drivers for speeding offences while out on Irish roads using hand held speed detection technology.

Notable top speeds detected include:

• 81km/h in a 50km/h zone on the N61 at Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon
• 127km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R188 near Doocassan, Co. Cavan
• 136km/h in an 80km/h zone along the R731 at Rathnure, Co. Wexford
• 153km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N11 Newcastle, Co. Wicklow.

Fixed Charge Offences for other road offences during this period included:

• Using Mobile Phones – more than 220
• No seatbelts – over 100
• 170 fines were issued to Unaccompanied Learner Drivers

Gardaí also seized a total 613 vehicles for a range of road traffic offences under Section 41 of the Roads Traffic Act.

Chief Superintendent, Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said:

“The vast majority of road users supported our operation over the long weekend to keep people safe, but it is of real concern that almost 200 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence.

There is only so many ways that we can say this and we won’t be polite about it – never, never, ever get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of drink or drugs. Any day, any time.

The financial penalty, prospect of losing your licence or criminal offence and time in prison might not be enough of a deterrent to some but the potential of causing serious and/or fatal injuries to yourself as well as others should be enough to stop you.”