GARDAI has issued an urgent warning to all Irish motorists after a driver was caught speeding while under the influencer of alcohol.
A driver was caught speeding at 166kmh in a 100kmh zone on the M50 by the DMR Road Policing Units last night.
The motorists failed a roadside breath test and blew over the legal alcohol limit at the station.
A spokesperson on X revealed that court proceedings are underway.
They said: “Epic Fail! Motorist caught speeding at 166km/h in a 100km/h zone on the M50 by our DMR Roads Policing Units late last night.
“They failed a roadside breath test and blew over the legal alcohol limit at the station. Court proceedings are underway.”
The current drinking-driving limit is a BAC of 50mg, which means that 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
For professional, learner and novice drivers, the limit is a BAC of 20mg.
Most people will have a BAC of 20 to 50mg after one standard drink, which is a pub measure of spirits, a small glass of wine, a half pint of regular beer and an alcopop.
It takes most people 1 to 2 hours to process 1 standard drink. That means after 3 standard drinks, you should wait at least 3 hours before driving.
Gardai urges people not to drive after drinking an alcoholic drink as it affects their reaction times, coordination, concentration, judgement and vision on the road.
They highly encourage people to have a designated driver and find out about public transport options before going out or having the budget for a taxi.
And they urge that you have a backup plan for getting home, such as a friend or parent you can call if you are stuck.
Another option is to arrange a place to stay overnight in the area and drive on the road in the morning once the alcohol content passes through.
BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND ROAD OPERATIONS
This comes after Gardai have been carrying out the road operation nationwide since 7am on Thursday as part of the St Brigid’s Day Bank Holiday weekend roads policing operation.
Throughout the operation, Gardai are conducting both statutory Mandatory Intoxicant Testing and regular, high-visibility policing checkpoints from Thursday to Tuesday.
Since the operation commenced on Thursday morning, nearly 580 drivers were detected for speeding offences during the first 48 hours.
A total of 63 people have been arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, which is alcohol and drugs.
There were three fatalities on the roads during the first 48 hours of the operation, bringing the total number to 14 fatal deaths this year.
Gardai revealed that most road motorists were travelling within the designated speed, but four drivers were detected to be driving dangerously.
One of the motorists was detected driving 139km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N4 at Cullen Beg in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
Another driver was caught speeding 116km/h in a 80km/h zone on the N55 at Lissoy in Glasson, Co Westmeath.
One was detected driving 106km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R702 at Ballyellin and Tomdarragh in Goresbridge, Co Carlow.
And another was spotted speeding 86km/h in a 50km/h zone on the R661 at Holycross in Co Tipperary.
Despite the figures being reduced, there is a low number of motorists using the roads as communities continue to deal with the effects of Storm Eowyn.
