Close to 500 people were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving over the Bank Holiday weekend, according to provisional figures released by the Garda yesterday.
The figures reveal that 479 drink-driving incidents were recorded over the St Patrick's Day weekend between midnight on Friday, March 16th, until midnight on Monday, March 19th.
The statistics also show that 487 people were arrested for drink-driving offences during the seven-day period from March 12th-18th.
The figures were released following a particularly bad weekend on the country's roads when eight people lost their lives.