Three people died on Irish roads over the bank holiday weekend, while several others received serious life-threatening injuries in other collisions.
On Friday, a pedestrian in his 50s was killed in a collision with a lorry on Dublin city centre’s Arran Quays. On Saturday morning, a man in his 20s was killed in a single-vehicle collision in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo. And on Tuesday, a man in his 60s was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Kerrykeel, Co Donegal.
The fatalities occurred during an intensive Garda road safety operation. Gardaí carried out over 880 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing checkpoints over the weekend, and made 218 arrests of people suspected of driving under the influence of an intoxicant as a result.
Of those 218 arrests, 60 were made between 7am on Monday and 7am on Tuesday.
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Gardaí also detected 2,150 drivers committing speeding offences over the weekend.
In Castletown, Co Meath, gardaí detected a driver speeding at 167km/hr in an 80km/hr zone. Gardaí caught a driver in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, driving at 159km/hr in a 100km/hr zone. And in Oranmore, Co Galway, gardaí detected a driver doing 146km/hr in an 80km/hr zone.
A total of 512 vehicles were seized for various offences under the Road Traffic Act 1961, while 40 drivers were arrested for dangerous driving.
Hundreds of fixed charged notices were also issues over the weekend: 209 for using a mobile phone while driving, more than 200 for an unaccompanied learner driver, over 75 for no seat belts and over 375 for no tax or insurance on a vehicle.
A Garda spokeswoman said that anyone who is prepared to drive “at the speeds that were detected over the Bank Holiday weekend has the potential to destroy lives, including their own”.
“It is disappointing that in spite of public awareness campaigns and widespread efforts among Gardaí and relevant partners such as the Road Safety Authority urging motorists to slow down – drivers continue to travel at dangerously excessive speeds on Irish roads.”
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