Several drink and drug driving incidents in Donegal last weekend have been described as ‘extremely worrying’ by gardaí.
Detections in the Letterkenny area included one drunk driver who was 12x over the legal limit. Gardaí were alerted to the vehicle on Saturday evening when they discovered its tax was 837 days out of date. The driver had no driving licence or insurance.
The vehicle was seized and the driver was charged to appear in court.
Other serious incidents included a driver arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning for being seven times over the blood alcohol limit. Gardaí first observed the vehicle being driven erratically and then found that the driver also had no driving licence and was uninsured.
Another driver was arrested after being caught seven times over the limit on Sunday night/Monday morning.
A case on Saturday night saw a driver failing a roadside breath test at an Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoint. The driver was found to be 3.5 times over the legal limit and was charged to appear in court.
On Sunday evening, September 15th, the Letterkenny Roads Policing Unit stopped a vehicle being driven in a careless manner. The driver, who had no licence or insurance, tested positive for cannabis. The driver was arrested, and a blood sample was taken. A quantity of suspected cannabis was also found in the driver’s possession.
Later that Sunday night, officers at another checkpoint arrested a driver who tested positive for cocaine and opiates. A blood sample was taken, and a quantity of suspected cocaine was found in the vehicle.
Reacting to the detections in Letterkenny, Garda spokesperson Grainne Doherty said: “It is extremely worrying that so many drivers are still making the poor decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“We continue to urge all drivers not to make that decision as it could have very tragic consequences for them and/or for other road users.
“Please arrange to have a designated driver for your night out or call a taxi or family member to bring you home.
“The consequences of drink/drug driving are very often life altering and irreversible.
“Nobody can claim ignorance when it comes to the possible consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“We appeal to all drivers out there to please think road safety at all times and to help save lives on the roads by always making responsible decisions.”
Sixth people lost their lives on Donegal’s roads in recent weeks. To date, a total of 131 people have died in road fatalities nationally.
Gda Doherty urged people to help keep the roads safe for all: “We appeal to the public to always report suspected instances of drink/drug driving to Gardaí. Gardaí may be contacted on a 24/7 basis at Letterkenny on 074-9167100, Ballyshannon on 071-9858530, Milford on 074-9153060 and Buncrana on 074-9320540.
“In the event of an emergency, please call 999 or 112. “
