Almost 30 people have been arrested for drink-driving every day this year, it emerged yesterday.
At the launch of the Garda's St Patrick's bank holiday weekend road-safety campaign, Assistant Garda Commissioner Eddie Rock said 2,154 people had been arrested for drink-driving so far in 2006.
From today, the Garda traffic corps will be strengthened by 28 extra patrol vehicles, he said, while the deployment of 60 more officers will increase Garda presence at the weekend.
Assistant commissioner Rock advised people not to drive after taking even one alcoholic drink. "We appeal to people: please, don't drink and drive. If you plan to drink, make travel arrangements beforehand. We plead with people not to create a tragedy for themselves and for others."
Coinciding with the bank holiday campaign, a multilingual road-safety initiative aimed at ethnic minorities was also launched yesterday.
It comprises a leaflet and poster in eight languages outlining basic rules of the road and advice on tax, insurance, the National Car Test (NCT), speed limits and penalties for breach of speed limits, drink-driving and seatbelt-wearing.
The publications will be available in eight languages and will be distributed through the ethnic press, ethnic shops, advice centres, ports and airports. New advertisements produced by the National Safety Council (NSC) will also be run in newspapers and on television.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said the multilingual campaign was a reflection of a changing national profile. "The tragic collision in Donegal some weeks ago in which five migrant workers lost their lives brings home the reality that collisions can affect all members of the community.
"All road deaths are tragic, but it is particularly poignant when those who come here to make a new life end up losing their lives on the roads," he said.
Mr Cullen reiterated that the first target of the Government's road safety strategy was a 25 per cent reduction in road fatalities by the end of this year over the average death toll between 1998 and 2003.
Attaining that target would require fewer than 300 deaths this year. Last year, 400 people were killed on the roads.