Gardai have warned motorists they will be conducting checkpoints countrywide in the next few days as they test for drugs and alcohol.
Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoints will be set-up in cities, towns and rural areas in a bid to keep roads safe in what is traditionally one of the more dangerous times on Irish roads.
Dublin gardai caught a learner driver on St Stephen's Day who was on the roads without an accompanying fully-licensed driver - they then later tested positive for cocaine.
A garda spokesperson said: "Roads Policing Units across the country are carrying out Mandatory Intoxicant Testing throughout the holiday period. This learner driver was stopped in Dublin City, driving unaccompanied.They tested positive for cocaine so now face a hefty fine and disqualification."
Drinkaware's annual campaign urges drivers to know when they might be over the limit and avoid getting behind the wheel.
Their road safety message is: understand exactly what a standard drink is, and how long it typically takes the body to process one.
Know the facts:
- It takes at least one hour to process one standard drink.
- Examples of a standard drink are, half a pint of beer, 100ml glass of wine, or a standard pub measure (35ml) of spirits.
- The time starts from when the last drink is finished. For example, if a person finished three pints of beer at 1am, they will have consumed six standard drinks, this means they need six hours from midnight when they stopped drinking before their body will have processed the alcohol and they should not get behind the wheel of a car until 7am at the earliest.
- Many things such as your weight, age, gender, metabolism, mood, whether you’ve eaten etc, can further delay the processing time. One hour per standard drink is a guideline only.
