THE Garda Traffic Corps will have a strong presence in the city and county this weekend, as 2009 has become the most tragic year on Limerick roads since 2002.
Gardai will be rolling out mandatory breath testing throughout the bank holiday period, according, to Henry Street Traffic Corps’ Sergeant Peter Kelly.
He asked motorists to be cautious and not add to the misery of what has already been a tragic year on Limerick roads,
“We will have a campaign of road side checkpoints and there will be mandatory breath testing”.
In an appeal to motorists, he said, “Before you drive, allow yourself plenty of time to make a journey”.
The number of road accidents now stands at 18 fatal accidents with 21 fatalities, “Our numbers are way up over previous years. If you look back at the road statistics, there is a bad year about every 10 years”.
A recent morning breath testing campaign on hungover drivers in Dublin proved successful and many arrests were made, the majority of which were women.
Sgt Kelly said this method of testing has been in continuous operation in Limerick in recent years.
He feels it is a great preventative measure in the fight against drink driving: “Years ago, there was a huge breath testing campaign after pubs closed and it proved to be a hugely successful preventative measure in the long term. Now, you’ll find that the majority would never dream of drink driving – I think strategic morning testing is having a similar affect”.
Sgt Kelly also appealed for motorists to be patient as ongoing road works continue to cause traffic delays in and around the city.
