Gardaí set up checkpoints across the State for bank holiday weekend

Eva Osborne

David Martin of the Road Safety Auhtority (RSA) has said gardaí are setting up checkpoints across the State this weekend to ensure the roads are safe.

A road safety operation is in place for the bank holiday weekend with the aim of urging drivers to tackle the rising number of road deaths.

143 people have been killed on the roads so far this year.

Martin said the RSA is concerned about dangerous driving habits.

"We're concerned again about the dangerous habits that we see on the roads, which is people using mobile phones, people driving way too fast and speeding," he said.

"Also, people driving while intoxicated and still people not wearing their seatbelts. So there's a range of activities that we're still very concerned about."

Speaking to BreakingNews.ie earlier this month, Martin said speed is a killer behaviour that results in fatalities and injuries on the roads.

"People using a mobile phone is another big one, there’s obviously more and more of that and there’s also the usual one of drink-driving and, more recently, drug driving.

"Some people still don’t put on their seatbelt, particularly passengers. You’re at serious risk of bad injury if you don’t have your seatbelt on.”