Gardai to roll out alcohol and drug driving checkpoints for Bank Holiday weekend

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána are warning road users of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs ahead of the May Bank Holiday Weekend. The appeal follows the recent introduction of Preliminary Drug Testing.

Drivers are being reminded that the Gardaí will be setting up Mandatory Intoxicant Testing Checkpoints at which they will be testing drivers for both alcohol and drugs at the roadside.

Checkpoints will be in place throughout the country over the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Since April 13th the Gardaí have new powers to conduct Preliminary Drug Tests.

This means Gardaí can test drivers for drugs, similar to breath testing. By taking a swab of a driver’s oral fluid, the presence of cannabis, cocaine, opiates (e.g. heroin, morphine) and benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium) can be detected.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Shane Ross, appealed to all road users to take extra care when using the roads.

He said: “Ahead of the May Bank Holiday, I am appealing to everyone to be mindful of how you use the road.

“In particular, I would urge drivers to be aware of the effects of alcohol on their driving, as any amount of it can impair driving and increase the risk of a collision.

“This is not an opinion – it’s a scientific fact. There were no lives lost on the roads over the recent Easter Bank Holiday weekend, it would be a remarkable but not an impossible achievement if we could also keep the May Bank Holiday free from road deaths.”

Falling asleep at the wheel is also a problem over Bank Holiday Weekends and it is estimated that driver fatigue is a contributory factor in as many as 1 in 5 driver deaths in Ireland every year. 

To help drivers stay alert behind the wheel over the May Bank Holiday Weekend, the RSA and Applegreen will provide free cups of coffee to drivers between 2pm and 8pm on Friday 28th April and Monday 1st May at participating service stations.

Simply say ‘RSA’ or ‘Driver Reviver’ to the till operator to avail of a free coffee. A list of participating stations is available at www.applegreenstores.com/ie/locations