Some 323 people were arrested for drink-driving across the State over the bank holiday weekend, according to Garda figures released yesterday.
The bank holiday weekend was the first since the introduction of random breath-testing last month, and 116 of those arrested were detected at random test checkpoints.
Between midnight last Thursday and midnight on Monday, 323 people were arrested for drink-driving, which means that more than three people were arrested across the State every hour over the weekend.
Some 12,450 random tests were carried out at 1,342 random breath-test checkpoints, resulting in 116 arrests.
An average of 1 per cent of all those subjected to a random test failed and were arrested.
This is a reduction from 1.7 per cent who failed random tests over the previous weekend.
On the first weekend under the new random breath-testing regime, from July 21st-24th, a total of 279 motorists were arrested for drink-driving, with 69 of those caught at random test checkpoints.
The largest number of arrests were made in the Dublin Metropolitan region, where 3,862 random breath tests conducted at 305 different checkpoints led to 50 arrests.
In the south eastern region, which includes the Garda divisions of Waterford/Kilkenny, Tipperary and Wexford/Wicklow, 906 motorists were tested at random at 116 different checkpoints, resulting in 17 arrests.
The northern region of Cavan/Monaghan, Sligo/Leitrim and Donegal also yielded 17 arrests.
Fourteen arrests were made in the southern region of Cork city, Cork east, Cork west, Kerry and Limerick, where 1,506 tests were carried out at 305 checkpoints.
In the eastern region, which includes Louth/Meath, gardaí made 13 arrests after 1,687 motorists were tested at 79 different checkpoints.
A comparatively low number of arrests were made in the western region, which includes Clare and Mayo, a total of 1,275 random tests were carried out at 152 checkpoints resulting in five arrests.
A Garda spokesman said the weekend's operation was not a "singular blitz" but was consistent with the force's "continuing high levels of road safety enforcement activities".
"In this regard a continuous series of operations are scheduled nationwide involving resources dedicated to the Garda Traffic Corps and those engaged on regular policing duties, with a view to improving road safety and reducing lives lost on Irish roads," the Garda spokesman added.