New figures which reveal an increase in speeding and drink-driving cases over the Christmas and New Year period were described as "worrying" last night by gardaí and the National Safety Council, writes Conor Lally.
The annual six-week crackdown saw a 30 per cent increase in the number of speeding offences, indicating the deterrent of the penalty points system is not as strong as 12 months ago.
Drink-driving arrests were up almost 4 per cent despite a 20 per cent decrease in the number of breath tests carried out.
The deteriorating behaviour of drivers comes despite a series of high-profile Garda and Government media campaigns promoting road safety.
In the six-week period beginning November 23rd, 1,556 people were arrested for drink-driving, compared with 1,499 12 months earlier. The number of breath tests dropped to 1,794, from 2,234. Some 25,914 motorists were caught speeding. This compares with 18,339 last year, a 30 per cent increase. Detections on the non-wearing of seat-belts dropped to 3,755 from 6,772.
The offence has been added to the penalty-points system since the 2001-2002 Christmas and New Year period.
Mr Pat Costello, chief executive of the National Safety Council, said his organisation was concerned with current trends. While the council welcomed the fact that many drivers who broke the law had been caught, more interventions by the gardaí are needed.
"Alcohol consumption in this country has risen by around 40 per cent in the last 10 years and that has been reflected in drink- driving," he said.
Mr Costello added that the out-sourcing of the speed-camera system would free Garda resources to tackle drink-driving. Stronger powers to be given to gardaí this year, allowing them to breathalyse any driver at any time, were to be welcomed.
Under the new measures gardaí will have the power to breathalyse any motorist at random. Currently motorists can only be tested if they have been stopped for a road traffic offence or have been involved in an accident.
Before December 1st last Garda powers were even weaker, with officers only permitted to request a sample after they had "formed an opinion" a motorist was under the influence of alcohol.
Garda spokesman Insp Ray McHugh said the new figures were a cause for concern. "But those who continue to engage in this kind of behaviour run the risk, the very great risk, of being caught. These figures indicate that we've been out there over the Christmas and we've been very active."
He added gardaí would continue to target drink-drivers for the remainder of the year and that motorists should not be of the mindset that it was "okay to drink and drive now that Christmas is over".
He said the marked increase in speeding offences reflected complacency in driver behaviour, which has been more to the fore in recent months.
However, road deaths were lower now than before the introduction of penalty points, with the number of fatalities in December at 21, the lowest in 40 years.
A spokesman for the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said the latest Garda figures showed a hard core of motorists were continuing to drink-drive.