The number of people behind the wheel on Irish roads after taking cocaine has almost trebled in the past two years.
The figures were released by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.
In Donegal the number of people testing positive at checkpoints for drug driving is almost the same as drink driving in recent months.
The issue has been highlighted countless times by both Gardai and local Road Safety Officer with Donegal County Council, Brian O’Donnell.
The latest figures by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety show that close to nine out of ten of the offenders are male.
Bureau director Professor Denis A Cusack said that despite the 70% reduction in traffic due to the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, there was an increase of 23 per cent in the number of blood and urine samples received by the bureau.
It was also revealed that half of the drivers whose blood was examined for alcohol were three times over the legal limit for experienced drivers.
Drug toxicology analysis, which tests for the presence of cannabis, cocaine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and amphetamines increased by 39% in 2020.
