Gardaí warn they’ll be targeting impaired drivers at checkpoints nationwide on the run-up to Christmas.
Drink and drug driving is still a major factor in road deaths.
The Medical Bureau of Road Safety's (MBRS) 2024 annual report says a 14-year-old was among those arrested for driving under the influence, while one driver tested more than eight times over the legal alcohol limit.
Last year, a total of 5,900 blood and urine specimens were sent to the Bureau for alcohol and/or drug testing, including 326 samples from Kildare.
Of these, 4,348 proceeded to Toxicology for further drug screening.
2,980 were found to be positive for at least one drug class on preliminary laboratory drug testing, while 1,368 were negative for the drugs targeted by the Bureau at the thresholds used.
Repeat offending also remains a serious issue across the country, with 263 drivers arrested more than once in 2024 - up 8 per cent on the previous year.
The figures come as Gardaí warn they’ll be targeting impaired drivers at checkpoints nationwide in the run-up to Christmas.
Professor Denis Cusack, Director of the MBRS, says stronger measures are needed to tackle this issue.
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