Gardaí and Kerry County Council have teamed up to issue a road safety appeal ahead of the festive period.
They’ve launched the ‘none for the road’ appeal, which focuses on not driving under the influence.
This joint Christmas road safety appeal between Kerry County Council and the Kerry Division of An Garda Síochána promotes the message of no alcohol or drugs while driving.
With plans to celebrate and socialise over Christmas, both the council and Gardaí are reminding people that part of planning a good night out includes making plans for getting home safely.
They say up to the end of November, over 7,000 drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; 56% were alcohol related and 44% were drugs related.
An Garda Síochána in Kerry say they will have extra patrols in place over the festive season.
Superintendent David Callaghan of the Kerry Garda Community Engagement unit is reminding everyone to drive responsibly and to plan their journeys.
Kerry’s road safety officer Declan Keogh is urging people to never drive under the influence of drink or drugs.
He says anyone who takes a chance and gets behind the wheel, while either drunk or drugged, don’t just out their lives at risk but they risk the lives of other road users too.
Mr Keogh says people should forget having ‘one for the road’, saying if you’re planning to drive, there should be ‘none for the road’.
