August bank holiday weekend sees 58% reduction in serious crashes

To date this year, 104 people have died on Irish roads, 12 more deaths than this time last year

26/08/2019 - NEWS - FILE -

Gardai pictured at a checkpoint as the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Siochana, launch a campaign aimed at getting people off long term reliance on a learner permit. 
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times




Gardai pictured at a checkpoint as the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Siochana, launch a campaign aimed at getting people off long term reliance on a learner permit. 



Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times
Over the bank holiday period, the Garda carried out 900 mandatory intoxicant testing checkpoints

There was a 58 per cent reduction in serious injury road traffic collisions during the August bank holiday weekend this year compared to the same weekend last year, according to the Garda.

The force said the data also represents a 66 per cent reduction in serious injury collisions against the previous five August bank holiday weekends.

The Garda ran a roads policing operation from 7am on August 3rd to 7am on August 9th.

There were three fatalities on our roads during that period, and eight serious collisions took place that resulted in eight serious and life-threatening injuries.

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To date this year, 104 people have died on Irish roads. That is 12 more lives lost than this time last year.

Over the bank holiday period, the Garda carried out 900 mandatory intoxicant testing checkpoints. More than 4,000 roadside drug and alcohol tests were conducted which led to 196 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

Throughout the weekend, gardaí issued more than 1,143 on the spot fixed charge penalty notices for speeding offences.

Of the 837,171 vehicles checked for speeding by Go-Safe nationwide, 2,841 drivers were detected for speeding.

The top speed detected was 203km/h in a 120km/h zone on the M8 Ballinaglanna North, Kilworth, Co Cork.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter