THE Donegal Road Safety
Working Group has issued its Christmas message and
are urging people in the county to 'Never, Ever
Drink and Drive'.
Motorists are also being warned that a lot to drink
the night before could lead to a blood alcohol level
in excess of the legal limit next morning.
If you are detected driving without a seatbelt or
using a mobile phone you can be tested for the
presence of alcohol.
Figures show that one-in-ten motorists or 284,000
have admitted to consuming alcohol before driving in
the past 12 months.
The figures were revealed at the launch of the
annual Christmas and New Year Road Safety Campaign
by the RSA and the Gardai.
The majority of the arrests were male and nearly
half of those arrests occurred on a Saturday or
Sunday. Of those over the limit, more than half were
between 20-39 years of age.
"While the number of people admitting to drink
driving is very high it is important to acknowledge
that a large majority of motorists in Ireland choose
not to drink and drive," the working group said in a
statement.
"However there is still a lot to do to completely
eliminate drink driving from our society. Any amount
of alcohol impairs driving.
"This is not an opinion, it’s a fact. So if you are
heading to an office party or socialising over the
Christmas and New Year period, make sure you plan
ahead. Leave the keys at home, book a taxi or
designate a driver." |