Increase in Garda checkpoints across Mayo Garda division

The Mayo/Roscommon/Longford Garda division recorded an increase in checkpoints between the third quarter of 2024 and the same period in 2025, according to figures analysed by the EU Transport Committee member Cynthia Ní Mhurchú. Gardaí in the division carried out 1,247 MIT checkpoints in Q3 2025, up from 1,155 in Q3 2024, representing a 7.9 percent increase.

These figures are a contrast to the national average, which saw the number of Garda drink and drug driving checkpoints fall by 7.5 percent. 

Data taken from the Garda PULSE system on November 3, shows that 12,930 Mandatory Intoxication Testing (MIT) checkpoints were conducted nationwide in Q3 2024, compared with 11,958 in Q3 2025. The reduction comes amid what Ní Mhurchú has described as a sharp rise in drug driving and increasing road fatalities.

Ní Mhurchú said the figures show significant reductions in roadside testing across many Garda divisions, despite recent data indicating rising levels of drug driving offences. She previously highlighted an increase in drug driving cases appearing before the courts and said the decline in testing was a cause for concern.

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The analysis also compares current figures with those from Q3 2019. Garda statistics show that 15,392 MIT checkpoints were carried out nationally during that quarter, 3,434 more than in Q3 2025. In 2019, 140 people were killed on Irish roads, compared with 185 fatalities recorded in 2025.

Speaking on the issue, Ní Mhurchú said Garda management should be increasing, rather than reducing, roadside testing at a time when road deaths are at elevated levels. She has called on An Garda Síochána to clarify the reasons for the reduction in checkpoints and whether resourcing issues are a factor.

Ní Mhurchú also raised the issue in the context of bank holiday weekends, which she said are often associated with serious road collisions. She noted that the Road Traffic Measures Bill 2023 was expected to allow for the introduction of double penalty points for certain offences during bank holiday periods. She has written to the Minister for Transport seeking clarification on whether this measure will be implemented.

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