Drivers have been reminded to be careful over the bank holiday weekend if they are drinking and to remember that alcohol can still be in your system the morning after a night out.
Gardai will be conducting checkpoints throughout the country over the weekend to ensure people are sticking to the rules of the road.
The RSA has also issued a warning to motorists, reminding them of three key things to remember before taking to the road.
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In a statement, the Road Safety Authority said: "As Ireland moves out of the COVID-19 pandemic and prepares to celebrate the first extended St Patrick's Day Bank Holiday, the RSA is encouraging drivers to mark the occasion responsibly and has highlighted some key guidelines to remember the morning after alcohol consumption."
The guidelines include:
- The only cure is time – after alcohol consumption, the only way to expel alcohol from your body is to wait.
- It takes roughly one hour for a unit of alcohol to leave the body – one unit of alcohol is a standard measure of spirit, wine, or a half glass of beer.
- Fatigue magnifies the impairment effect of alcohol – If you went to bed very late after consuming alcohol, you may not be fit to drive until lunchtime the next day.
The warnings come after new data revealed that 1 in 10 alcohol-related crashes happen the morning after, and 10 per cent of all driving under the influence arrests were made between the hours of 7am and 12pm.
This year has seen a significant increase in road deaths of a staggering 118 per cent.
Speaking at the road safety campaign launch, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said: "We will be doing checkpoints day and night throughout this festival period.
"Gardaí will be keeping people safe on our roads and will be visible across the country over this St Patrick's Day and weekend. Our priority is to keep people safe and prevent death and injury on our roads. I would appeal to those of you who are socialising and consuming alcohol to leave your car at home or designate a driver and remember you may still be over the limit the morning after.
"We must change the current trends we are seeing in road fatalities in 2022. Too many families have already lost loved ones this year. An Garda Síochána are pleading with people to stop taking risks, make the right decisions and never ever drive while under the influence of alcohol."
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