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Drug drivers target of Bank
Holiday weekend
30.05.19
DRUG drivers will be
targeted over this June Bank Holiday weekend. This
was announced on Tuesday, 28 May, at the launch of a
bank holiday safety drive by the Road Safety
Authority (RSA), An Garda Síochána and the Medical
Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS).
The MBRS has reported a rise of approximately 43% in
the number of blood and urine specimens received for
alcohol and drugs testing in the first four months
of the year when compared to the same period in
2018. Cannabis was the most common illegal drug detected in
drivers last year.
Statistics from An Garda Síochána show that the
number of arrests for ‘Driving Under the Influence’
(DUI), which includes alcohol or drugs or a
combination of both, is up 15%. There were 2,694
arrests for DUI from January - April 2019, versus
2,343 for Jan-April 2018. |
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62 people have been killed or
seriously injured in June Bank Holiday collisions in
the last five years. |
Speaking ahead of the
Bank Holiday, Mr. Shane Ross Minister for Transport,
Tourism and Sport said that "Driving under the
influence of drugs has been a statutory offence
since 1961 but it wasn’t until April 2017, with the
introduction of Preliminary Drug Testing (PDT), that
we had a drug testing device capable of testing for
the presence of drugs in drivers at the roadside and
in the Garda station. It’s clear that its
introduction and the accompanying awareness raising
campaigns have made a big contribution to tackling
this killer behaviour.”
Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary, Garda National
Roads Policing Bureau, said that: "An Garda Síochána
is aware that many people will be travelling on the
roads over the bank holiday weekend. Our priority is
to ensure that people who use the road are not put
at risk by the minority of drivers who drive while
under the influence of an intoxicant. Intoxicated
driving, whether alcohol or drugs, causes huge risk
to all road users. Members of the Garda Roads
Policing Unit will be conducting roadside screening
at Mandatory Intoxicant Testing checkpoints right
around the country. We will also be targeting other
killer behaviours such as speeding, mobile phone use
and non-wearing of seatbelts.” |
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