The number of motorists arrested by gardaí for alleged drink-driving offences last year was up by a full 33 per cent on 2005, provisional figures released today show.
In total, gardaí made some 17,788 arrests for alleged drink-driving last year, up from 13,369, or a third, on the previous year.
Garda figures also showed an average of 45 suspected drink-drivers were stopped every day during Christmas week.
Some 318 alleged drink-driving incidents were recorded between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. The figure was down on the previous week when 342 motorists were stopped.
The Garda also said there had been a 22 per cent increase in the number of drivers allegedly caught speeding in 2006.
Provisional figures for last year reveal some 175,517 incidences of alleged speeding, compared to 143,651 in 2005.
There was also a sharp increase in the number of motorists found by gardaí not to be wearing seatbelts.
That figure was up by over 44 per cent from 18,084 in 2005 to 26,107 last year.
A total of 5,698 motorists have been stopped for driving while using a mobile phone since that was made an offence on September 1st last.
A total of 367 people died on the State's roads in 2006, which was 29 fewer than in 2005. Half of all those killed were under 30, one-third were in their 20s, and more than 70 per cent were male.
A man in his 20s was the first road-related death of the year after being struck by car just hours into the new year in Sligo.
Meanwhile, it emerged that seven gardaí were charged and convicted of drink-driving from the beginning of January 2005 to the start of December 2006.
The figures were released to the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act.
PA said 31 gardaí were found guilty of a range of offences before the courts but garda headquarters refused to uncover details of the criminal records of 24 members of the force or what specific disciplinary action was taken.
Additional reporting: PA