147 people have died on Irish roads this year.
Gardaí are calling on motorists to never drink and drive, after 22 people were arrested for the offence over the past two days, a number of drivers refused a breath sample and now face an automatic 4 year ban.
A motorist arrested in Sligo on suspicion of drink driving on Christmas night was discovered when stopped by Gardai drinking from a bottle of whiskey.
The man now faces a six month driving ban and a fine.
People are being urged to ensure all alcohol is out of their system before they drive today.
Liz O’Donnell from the Road Safety Authority has this advice:
In another incident yesterday, the Sligo Roads Policing Unit stopped a car after Gardai observed a young toddler standing behind the driver.
The driver was subsequently found to be carrying 7 passengers – two adult passengers holding a child each and three other children, all without child restraints.
Gardai say further inquiries revealed the driver is disqualified, and was displaying a false NCT disc and expired road tax.
The driver was arrested for driving while disqualified and received a number of charges including no insurance to appear in court on a future date and the vehicle seized.
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