954 drink-drivers caught over holiday periods

A TOTAL of 954 motorists were found to have been drink-driving over the St Patrick's Day and Easter holiday periods, according to the Garda.

In the week between St Patrick's Day and Easter Monday, the figure was 564, while 390 were caught in the week before St Patrick's Day.

Gardaí mounted a high-profile campaign over both bank holiday weekends. On the Friday before St Patrick's Day, 2,400 motorists were breathalysed in Dublin city alone, in one of the biggest campaigns since random breath-testing was introduced in 2006.

Road safety campaigners have described the Garda's high-visibility drink-driving campaign as a success as it coincided with a dramatic reduction in the number of deaths over the combined bank holiday weekend periods.

Just two people were killed during the combined St Patrick's Day and Easter bank holiday weekend period. The equivalent figure in 2007 was 11.

Road Safety Authority spokesman Brian Farrell said: "It is encouraging that the gardaí have been out there enforcing the drink-driving laws and it certainly has had an impact on the reduction of road deaths over the St Patrick's and Easter bank holiday weekends.

"People clearly change - or were very conscious of - their behaviour over the Easter and St Patrick's Day weekends, in no small part due to the fact that the gardaí had a significant enforcement presence on the road," Mr Farrell added. "It's clearly showing that a greater level of enforcement brings a greater level of compliance and, as a result of that, lives are saved."

A recommendation for a lower alcohol limit for drivers will be made to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey this week. The authority has endorsed a recommendation for a lower limit, believed to involve a reduction from the present limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg per 100ml of blood.

The proposal was drawn up by an advisory group which included Prof Denis Cusack, head of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, Prof Ray Fuller from Trinity College and representatives from the Garda.

The Government is committed to reducing the present limit under the terms of its five-year road strategy to 2012.