'If you're drinking, you better not be driving'

“If you are going out drinking, make sure you are not driving,” that is the message from Navan Superintendent Michael Devine who is warning that there will be a significant increase in checkpoints across the county over the Christmas period.
“We will be out in strength over Christmas with numerous checkpoints involving the traffic corps supported by local units throughout the county.
“If you are going out drinking, make sure you are not driving. Everybody should know that at this stage. We are not out to catch people. We would much prefer if people acted sensibly,” said Supt Devine.
He noted that Gardai had seen a marked increase in the number of people arrested for drink driving over the past 12 months, where they had hoped that people were getting the message and that the trend would be going the other way.
He said the increase also indicated that enforcement levels were up.
The Meath Chronicle recently highlighted the dramatic rise in drink driving detections in the county with crime figures for the second three months of the year showing a sharp increase of 20 per cent in drink driving offences.
CSO figures for the second quarter of the year show 52 people were caught drink driving from January to March while this figure jumped to 63 from April to the end of June. Comparing the second quarter of this year with the same period a year ago, drink driving offences jumped from 55 to 63.
For the year up to the end of June, the number of drink driving offences in the Meath Division was 245, up from 202 for the year up to the end of June 2015.
In September, Navan Gardai highlighted the startling 100 per cent increase in the numbers caught drink driving in the Navan area in 2016. At a time when Gardai had hoped the message was finally getting home to people about the dangers of drink driving, the figures came as a huge shock.
As well as drink driving, the checkpoints will also focus on tax and insurance and Supt Devine is warning that uninsured vehicles will be seized by Gardai. The Navan superintendent has highlighted an increase in the number of uninsured and untaxed vehicles seized by Gardai this year. “Last year we seized 249 vehicles for not being taxed or insured. This year to date over 380 cars were seized. People not insuring their vehicles is a major concern.”
Supt Devine explained to get their vehicles back, the owner must produce documentation showing the vehicle is taxed and insured and also pay the fee of €125 plus €35 per day after that.
Those caught driving without tax or insurance will also be prosecuted.