The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
DRINK DRIVING FIGURES SOAR ACROSS KERRY
GARDAÍ in Kerry say they are extremely concerned by “a massive jump” in the number of people drunk driving with the amount of younger people getting behind the wheel while intoxicated a particular concern.
At last Friday’s Quarterly meeting of the Kerry Joint Policing Committee newly installed Kerry Division Chief Superintendent Eileen Foster provided a break down of crime across the county in the first three months of the year.
While the statistics for most categories of crime had fallen or remained relatively static there was a large increase in the number of people arrested on suspicion of drunk driving or driving while under the influence of drugs.
According to the figures provided by Chief Supt Foster in the first quarter of 2019 89 people had been arrested for driving while intoxicated by alcohol or narcotics.
That represents a jump of 16 per cent on the same period in 2018 when 77 people were arrested for driving under the influence, an increase described by the head of the Kerry Traffic Corps Inspector Tony Sugrue as “a massive jump.”
Chief Supt Foster said the drink driving arrest figures reflected Garda efforts to clamp down on drunken driving but also showed that people were not paying attention to the anti drink driving massage.
“Drink driving arrest figures have gone up considerably. While it is good that people are being caught it shows that people are not taking the message on board,” she said.
Inspector Sugrue said that the majority of those arrested fro drunk driving were younger people.
“We have unfortunately seen a 16 per cent increase in drink driving arrests,” he said.
What is concerning is that of those about 60 per cent of the people arrested were under 40 years old which is an awful figure,” said Insp Sugrue.
Both inspector Sugrue and Chief Supt Foster also stood firm against public complaints about the increase in early morning traffic checkpoints and claims that people are being unfairly targeted on the way to work.
“We’re not targeting people going to work we’re targeting people driving with drink in their system. We’re doing our job and we’ll make no apology for that,” said Chief Supt Foster. Insp Sugrue agreed.
“There’s a reason for them (the early checkpoints). People with drink in their system are causing accidents in the morning. It’s as simple as that,” he said.