Hike in rate of younger people drink driving

Ongoing high detection rates for drink driving across Galway has prompted Garda chiefs to consider operating more mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints across the county.

Figures released to the Connacht Tribune reveal that arrests for drink driving offences in Galway from the start of the year to mid-July rose to over the 300 mark.

Gardai have also noticed a growing trend in the arrests for drink driving, of younger drivers – in the 20 to 40 age category – ‘chancing’ a few pints and going behind the wheel.

Garda Chief Superintendent, Tom Curley, told the Connacht Tribune, that in view of the continuing high rate of detections, there would be more mandatory alcohol testing (MATs) and increased surveillance.

“What is worrying as well is the high percentage of drivers in the 20 to 40 age group who are testing positive for alcohol.

“For some reason – and we’re not really sure why – more drivers seem to be ‘’chancing’ drinking and driving, but they are getting caught,” said Chief Supt. Curley.

Earlier this month, a mandatory alcohol checkpoint on the edge of Galway city in the Briarhill/Ballybrit area – operated between noon and 1pm on a Sunday afternoon – resulted in four arrests for drink driving.

Gardai do not believe that those arrested were ‘victims’ of Saturday night ‘binges’ and more than likely had consumed alcohol shortly before being stopped.

During the first sixteen days of July, Gardai in Galway arrested 24 people for drink driving while for the first half of the year, drink driving arrests have been coming close to 50 per month.

Over the March/April period, 112 drivers in Galway were arrested for drink driving. The figures for the other months in Galway are: January, 41; February, 47, May 34 and June, 49.

Chief Supt. Curley said that given the current high detection rates, Gardai were now giving active consideration to deploying more resources to MATs and to other detection methods.

“The message we want to get out loud and clear is that checks for driving with alcohol are a 24:7 operation. Regardless of the time of day that someone is on the road, they will face mandatory alcohol checkpoints,” said Chief Supt. Curley.

He also stressed that the Gardai were not on any ‘persecution crusade’ as regards alcohol checks, adding that road safety was at the heart of the campaign.

“Every year on our roads, hundreds of Irish people either lose their lives or are maimed for life on our roads network. There is a direct link between driving with alcohol in your systems and road accidents – we need to drive that message home,” said Chief Supt. Curley.