Garda checkpoints stepped up for Christmas

Garda checkpoints stepped up for Christmas campaign


TEN people lost their lives on Mayo roads since the beginning of 2014, with two of those deaths occurring just hours into new year. The Garda SíochΡna Western Region Road Safety Christmas Campaign for 2014 will run until January 4, 2015 and its primary focus will be on speeding, drink driving, failure to wear seatbelts, driver fatigue and mobile phone use.
The campaign will see over 60 checkpoints per day carried out across the region. A statement released by An Garda SíochΡna outlines that this year there will be a ‘morning element’ to a percentage of those checkpoints, focusing on Drink Driving.
As part of the campaign enforcement of all Road Traffic legislation will be increased and large urban towns will be given special attention on weekend nights.
Over a two day period earlier this month an enforcement operation was carried out in the Western Region with 35 drivers in Mayo detected holding mobile phones.
The statement said the detection results show that people are continuing to use mobile phones while driving ‘despite repeated warnings’.
“Therefore our targeted enforcement operations in this and other areas will continue right across the Christmas and New Year period,” the statement reads.
“Drivers are urged to ensure they take responsibility for their safety while using the roads this Christmas and in particular pedestrians should ensure that they are visible while out walking.
“We urge all passengers travelling in vehicles to be aware of the driver’s condition and take action to prevent any accident occurring due to dangerous or careless driving.”