Ten people were arrested on Christmas Day on suspicion of drink-driving.
That's according to figures released by An Garda Síochána - who also confirmed that a further 12 people were arrested between midnight and 9am on St Stephen's Day.
According to Gardai in Waterford, one person was arrested at 7:30 this morning on suspicion of criminal damage. Also in the city on Christmas Day, there were two reports of criminal damage and two people arrested for drunkenness.
A number of the drivers stopped refused to give a breath sample when asked by Gardaí and will now automatically face a four-year driving ban.
10 people were arrested on suspicion of drink driving
yesterday 25/12/18 & a further 12 up to 9am this morning, a number of this
drivers refused a breath sample & now automatically face a 4 year ban.
NEVER ever drink & drive#BeSafe pic.twitter.com/x2s25b8tHI— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) December 26, 2018
Under the updated provisions of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018 are in effect since October 26.
These new provisions increased the penalty for drivers detected with a blood-alcohol concentration between 50mg and 80mg from a €200 fine and three penalty points to three months disqualification from driving (plus a €200 fine).
Last year, 8,920 drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, compared to 8,067 arrests in 2016 — an increase of 11%.
According to statistics from the Road Safety Authority, alcohol is a factor in 39% of all driver fatalities.
"Unfortunately, some drivers continue to cause such risk on our roads. We will continue to focus on intoxicated driving 24/7 to make the roads safer for all road users," said a Garda tweet.
