Clare Gardaí have issued a warning to motorists not to drink and drive over the Christmas period, writes Damian Carroll.Checkpoints will be in operation over the festive season, in an effort to discourage motorists from the temptation of driving home after consuming alcohol. With 10 fatalities on Clare Roads this year, local Gardaí urging drivers to belt up, slow down and never drink and drive.
Meanwhile, nine out of 10 drivers found to be over the limit at Garda random alcohol checkpoints are men, and one in five "morning after" fatal road crashes is alcohol-related, according to new figures released by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
More than 24,000 people have been arrested for drink-driving since mandatory breath-testing was introduced at the end of July 2006. This year so far gardaí have recorded 15,711 drink-driving incidents.
