During the bank holiday weekend, a person learning how to drive was apprehended by the Gardai in County Cork for exceeding the speed limits. Furthermore, they were without insurance and a roadside test revealed their drug usage. This incident was part of the Garda’s traffic enforcement operations over the weekend.
A total of 158 drivers were found under the influence of either alcohol or drugs from Thursday at 7 am, when the operation commenced, till Sunday night. There were over 1,200 instances of speed limit violations during this interval.
The Gardaí cautioned motorists that Monday is often considered the most hazardous time on the roads during a holiday weekend, as many people set out to return from vacations.
The Gardaí also highlighted three other significant occurrences involving vehicles being operated illegally with a cumulative occupancy of 18 individuals.
In addition to the one that occurred on the M8 in Cork on Sunday morning, another incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when a driver collided with the central median on the M7 in Kildare, causing their vehicle to capsize. The driver, who was in his thirties, had no driving authorisation and was found to be influenced by drugs.
On the M7 in Tipperary, just post 5 pm on Sunday, two vehicles collided, resulting in charger against one of the drivers for dangerous driving.
In a separate crash later that evening on the M8 in Cork, one of the two drivers involved exceeded the sanctioned limit of alcohol intake.
In summarising the incidents, Supt Liam Geraghty from Garda headquarters emphasised that a total of 18 individuals, including children, were directly affected by these four accidents, but fortunately, no one seemed to be critically injured. He urged people to take responsibility for their driving behaviour, stating that it was the most impactful way to decrease the number of fatal accidents and major injuries. He also strongly encouraged people to confront any irresponsible and illegal driving by their acquaintances and loved ones, as a means to improve road safety.
Over the initial two days of the weekend, a trio of fatalities occurred which included a 43-year-old motorist who had a collision on the R571 in Co Cork on Friday, a pedestrian aged 52 in Dublin who was fatally struck by a lorry on Friday, and a 23-year-old male who lost control of his vehicle on the R294 in Co Sligo on Saturday.
Despite fatalities from road accidents being 14 more in March compared to the same month last year, numbers have reduced in comparison to 2023. By the start of the bank holiday weekend, the year’s casualty rate was 147, marking a decrease of 10 from the same time frame last year.
Irish law enforcement pinpointed speeding and drink driving as significant causes of deadly accidents and severe injuries. Over the weekend, a motorist was observed driving at a speed of 167km/h in an 80km/h limit area at Leggagh, Castletown, Co Meath whereas another was apprehended for driving at 157km/h in a zone limited to 100km/h at Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal.
“These excessive speeds aren’t mere mistakes, rather they are willful and intentional acts by drivers to grossly violate the speed limit, thereby jeopardising their lives, their passengers’ lives, and those of other road users,” articulated Supt Geraghty.