Criticism over fall in mandatory intoxication checkpoints in Waterford

EU Transport Committee MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has expressed criticism over a fall in the number of Mandatory Intoxication Testing (MIT) checkpoints being conducted in the Waterford and Kilkenny district area.

In particular, Ms Ní Mhúrchu said the reduction - between the third quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of last year - came at a time when "drug driving soars".

Commentin there was a 3.4 per cent fall in the number of MIT checkpoints, she said the number of checkpoints to detect drink and drug driving in Waterford and Kilkenny within the aforementioned timeframe fell from 1,173 to 1,132. 

Ms Ní Mhurchú recently highlighted a surge in drug driving cases nationally, which included a 22 per cent increase in drug driving cases in Waterford, and she has now followed that up with an analysis of the number of checkpoints Gardaí are carrying out across every district in the country.

Figures taken from the Garda PULSE system on November 3, 2025, showed significant decreases in the number of MIT checkpoints conducted by the Gardaí across many Garda districts

Commenting that drug driving had reached "epidemic levels", she said 12,930 MIT checkpoints were carried out nationally throughout the third quarter of of 2024 but that fell to 11,958 checkpoints by the same period last year, which equated to a drop of 7.5 per cent.

Going a little further back she said that 15,392 checkpoints were carried out nationally by the third quarter of 2019, which was 3,434 more checkpoints than recorded by the third quarter last year.

Significantly, she also highlighted that 140 people were killed on Irish roads in 2019, which was 45 fewer people than in 2025.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said that with road deaths "at unprecedented levels", Garda management should be dramatically increasing the number of MIT checkpoints on Irish roads.

“Gardaí carried out thousands more roadside alcohol and drug checkpoints in 2019 than they did in 2025," she said.

"The figures speak for themselves. In 2019, we had 140 deaths, but in 2025, we had 185 deaths. Drug driving is out of control, but now Gardaí are testing fewer people, meaning the drug driving figures I recently received from the courts service are only the tip of the iceberg," she said.

"Those figures show a 37 per cent increase in cases coming before our district courts for drug driving in the first 10 months of 2025," she added.

"This should be evidence enough for Gardaí to launch a massive increase in drug and drink driving checkpoints – but they have done the opposite and reduced them."

She questioned what the rationale was behind the reduction, commenting: "If it is a resource issue, let's deal with it, but it must be pointed out that there were more Gardaí in 2025 than there were in 2019."

She said clarity was needed on the issue as to why there was an overall reduction in roadside testing.

Ms Ní Mhurchú raised the issue in the context of the recent bank holiday weekend, commenting that such times of the year are frequently flashpoints for serious road collisions and fatalities. 

"The Road Traffic Measures Bill 2023 was expected to empower the Minister for Transport to introduce double penalty points for driving offences during bank holiday weekends; however, it remains unclear why this measure has not been implemented," she said.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said she has written to the Minister seeking clarification on whether this provision will be enacted and, if not, the reasons for that decision.

According to the figures obtained by Ms Ní Mhúrchu the figures for the Cork and Wexford/Wicklow divisions for the same period indicated a reduction in MIT checkpoints of 7.1 and 6.5per cent, respectively.