Gardai Claim "Major Success" For Breath Tests

Gardai have described the introduction of random breath-tests last weekend as a 'major success' and say they plan to increase the frequency of the tests in coming months.

The number of motorists caught drink driving at the weekend increased by 10%, largely as a result of the random tests which were staged outside pubs and restaurants across Ireland.

A total of 279 motorists were arrested for drink-driving between Friday night and Monday morning, with 69 of those caught at checkpoints established under the new random-breath testing regime.

Assistant Garda Commissioner Eddie Rock, said those arrested after random testing had been detected in the course of 3,904 tests throughout the country from 10pm on Friday to 6am on Monday.

He said the number of people failing random testing on its first weekend of operation was "quite substantial".

Mr Rock also warned motorists that the 'party is over' and said they could expect such random breath tests to become routine.Gardaí were given the power to conduct random testing after provisions in the Road Traffic Act were activated by the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, last week.

Until last weekend gardaí were only allowed to test a motorist after forming an opinion that they had been drinking.

A total of 676 checkpoints were put in place at the weekend, with 117 in Dublin city alone.

Mr Rock said the 279 weekend detections represented a 10 per cent increase on the previous weekend.

Detections for the year had increased by 23 per cent, to more than 8,000, compared with the same period last year.

The introduction of random breath tests is supposed to signal the start of a prolonged crackdown on dangerous drivers. By November a new set of penalty points will be introduced and a system of speed cameras will be rolled out nationally.

Significantly the numbers of arrests peaked at the weekend between 2am and 3am, mirroring the trend of accident peak times.

Mr Rock said he expected some of the first people arrested under the new random testing system to mount a legal challenge to the legislation when the first cases come to court. However, he said, most people understood the need for the random tests and welcomed it.

"People want this and want more of it. We're ramping up resources all the time."

While changing attitudes towards drink-driving was "difficult and slow", he believed greater enforcement would effect change in the long term.

By Monday 229 people had lost their lives in road accidents across the south of Ireland this year.

Almost a third of those victims, 75, were young people aged between 16 and 25.

The Garda had 400 hand-held alco-meters which were now being used to carry out random testing.

Mr Rock said that in the coming weeks, substantially more devices would be acquired.

The Garda Traffic Corps will number 800 by the end of the year with full strength manpower of 1,200 members due to be reached at the end of next year.

The drink-drive message appeared to be getting through to motorists, in the short-term at least, with many saying that the random tests had encouraged them to leave their cars at home.

In a separate development a woman from Co Armagh began an all-Ireland walk this week to highlight the dangers of drink driving and speeding.