Donegal is one of the counties where alcohol features most in road traffic accidents, according to a new report.
The Road Safety Authority analysed figures from all fatal collisions between 2008 and 2012 and it showed that alcohol plays a part in almost 40 per cent of all road deaths.
It featured in almost 8% of Donegal crash while other counties like Galway, Cork and Dublin also had the highest figures.
The data shows that two fifths of fatal road collisions involved alcohol.
Drink was also involved in half of pedestrian deaths and 30 per cent of motorcyclist fatalities.
Alcohol was a main factor in 330 collisions over the 4 years analysed.
They led to 286 people being killed and 69 more being seriously injured.
The figures show half of all drivers and motorcyclists involved were more than 4 times over the legal limit when they crashed.
It’s young, male drivers who are most likely to drink drive – and 81 per cent of collisions happened in rural areas.
It comes ahead of another bank holiday weekend during which the Road Safety Authority are urging people not to drink drive.
Already this year 74 people have died on our roads – an increase of 27 per cent on this time last year.
The gardaí are warning that they’ll be out in force this weekend, with over 3,000 people arrested this year already on suspicion of drink driving.
