Gardaí begin bank holiday campaign tonight

Gardaí begin their bank holiday road safety crackdown at midnight tonight with a particular emphasis on detecting drink driving.

Bank holidays are notoriously dangerous on the roads, but for the first time gardaí will be able to randomly stop and test motorists for drink driving. Previously, gardaí had to have formed an opinion that a motorist was drunk before testing them.

Gardaí will also have to power to prosecute motorists who speak in hand-held mobile phones while behind the wheel.

This year's August bank holiday campaign, Operation Surround, runs until midnight on Monday and will see the Garda mount a series of scheduled high-visibility checkpoints.

According to the Garda press office, officers will also operate secret patrols and checks.

"Our experiences indicate that the majority of drivers do not drink and drive, but there remains a sizeable number who continue to do so, placing their own lives and the lives of others at risk," a statement said.

Gardaí say an average of 344 drink driving offences are detected every week and that alcohol is a factor in almost half 50 per cent of all road deaths.

Over the August bank holiday weekend last year three people died in crashes, and 12 people involved in crashes were arrested for drink-driving offences.

Up to yesterday, a total of 240 people had died in road crashes this year compared to 208 for the same period last year.