Spikes in road deaths and arrests with nearly 800 people arrested for drink driving over Christmas despite COVID travel restrictions

Road deaths and arrests spikes to new heights in 2020 with nearly 800 people arrested for drink driving over Christmas despite COVID travel restrictions.

Gardaí have reported an increase in roads deaths last year with 148 people killed on Irish roads in 2020 compared to 140 in 2019 - in spite of the fact that people were encouraged to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary journeys for most of the year.

And a whopping 790 motorists were arrested for driving while intoxicated over the recent Christmas period, despite pubs being shut.

Officers arrested these drivers for being behind the steering while intoxicated from December 4, 2020 until January 5, 2021 - compared to 650 people who were arrested between November 29 and December 26, 2019 .

Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman urges all road users to remember the basics of road safety.

She said: "The message is clear, never drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or a combination of both.

"We also ask that drivers increase their compliance with speed limits in order to lower speed-related collisions.

"This will reduce injuries on our roads and save lives."

Gardaí say that between December 4, 2020, and January 5, 2021, alone there were 10 deaths on the roads - compared to 16 for the same dates the previous year.

These figures are from statistics released as part of the Garda Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign.

The Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign for 2020 involved 12,858 breath tests being carried out and 5,513 checkpoints being manned.

An Garda Síochána and GoSafe checked 186,125 vehicles and detected 892 vehicles breaking the speed limit during National Slow Down Day on December 11 and 12 in 2020.

Around 14,780 speeding detections were recorded in 2020, while there were 1,096 fines were issued for mobile phone use and 314 fines issued for not wearing seatbelts.

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