21 PEOPLE DIED on Irish roads in the month of July, the highest monthly figure so far this year.
Two of those deaths took place over the August bank holiday weekend.
Gardaí had set up checkpoints over the past weekend as the number of road users increased.
Last week, nine people died in fatal road accidents across Kildare, Clare, Meath and Donegal.
Newly-released figures from the gardaí show that 10 people were also injured in a three-car pile-up in Kilkenny over the weekend. There were eight serious injury collisions this weekend, up from three compared to the same time last year.
Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said:
We urgently appeal to every road user to take extra care on the roads and realise you have a personal responsibility when you get behind the wheel. Slow down, wear your seatbelt, put the mobile away and in particular, never ever drink and drive’.
Alcohol
The gardaí thanked the 7,000 plus drivers who drove without being under the influence of alcohol this weekend. However, 165 people were caught drink-driving. Drink-driving arrests for July are up 18% compared to July 2015.
Reid said:
These people show total disregard for their own lives and the lives of other road users but it also shows considerable Garda activity, which will continue into August with more targeted operations.
Overall, 719 people were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in July 2016, compared to 608 arrests in July 2015.
171km in a 100km zone
Over the bank holiday weekend, the Garda twitter account made examples of people going over the speed limit.
One driver was spotted going 171km/h in a 1ookm zone in Monaghan.
Another driver was going 109km/h in a 60km zone.
And one motorist did 126km/h in a 60km area on a wet Naas Road.
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry
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