Motorist caught driving at 188km/h in 100km/h zone by gardaí on M50

One motorist travelling almost twice the speed limit on a stretch of South Dublin motorway was among the 3,000 drivers detected exceeding speed limits over the June bank holiday.

An extensive garda roads policing operation was in place from 7am on Thursday, May 29, until 7am on Tuesday, June 3, to ensure road safety during the bank holiday weekend.

Gardaí detected a driver travelling at 188km/h in a 100km/h zone on the M50 near Templeogue.

Other notable speeds detected included a motorist travelling at 99km/h in a 50km/h zone in Co Monaghan.

During the weekend, there were 14 serious collisions that resulted in 14 individuals sustaining severe and life-threatening injuries.

A mother-of-four in her 70s was also killed in a fatal car crash between a car and a van in Donegal on Friday.

Over the course of the operation, An Garda Síochána conducted more than 830 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints.

Over 4,000 breath tests and approximately 270 oral fluid tests were carried out, leading to 167 arrests for suspected driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

Fixed charge notices issued for other road offences during this period included 210 for using mobile phones, over 215 for unaccompanied learner drivers and over 70 for no seatbelts.

In addition, 99 vehicles were seized from learner permit holders driving unaccompanied and 380 vehicles were seized for having no tax or insurance.

In a statement, gardaí continue to appeal to all road users to “never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to slow down and to always choose a speed that is appropriate to the driving conditions, to wear your seatbelt and keep your eyes always on the road”.