Bus driver arrested at Garda checkpoint on M1 motorway with passengers on board
A bus driver was arrested on Saturday morning at a garda checkpoint on the M1 motorway with passengers on board
Gardai carried out a Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoint on the M1 motorway between Swords and Balbriggan on Saturday morning.
Unusually, when the bus approached the checkpoint it was pulled over even though it was carrying passengers. The driver may not have expected to be pulled over.
It was subsequently found that the driver tested positive for alcohol after they failed the roadside test.
The driver was then arrested and taken to the local station where they again failed the test. The driver was given a fine for the offence.
A huge drink driving operation occurred on the M1 between 9:30am and 10:30am on Saturday. The operation saw a total of 246 motorists randomly tested for alcohol and four tested for drugs.
This was a huge Garda checkpoint as it was on the busy motorway. 22 motorists were tested at a time in a bid not to slow down traffic.
As well as the arrest of the bus driver, one car was impounded for not having NCT while 12 other offences were also detected.
Speaking after the operation Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said:
"I would like to thank everyone traveling on the route during this mornings’ MIT checkpoint for their co-operation and commend the very high compliance rates among motorists."
A Garda spokesperson added: "The checkpoint was conducted on the northbound lanes of the M1 between J4 & J5 from 9.30am until 10.30am.
"Warning signs were in place advising approaching traffic 1.5km from the site. Traffic in both driving lanes was merged into one 800m in advance of the checkpoint, this resulted in very little delay to those travelling on the route.
"During the checkpoint 246 motorists were randomly tested for Alcohol and 4 for Drugs.
"The driver of a bus with passengers on board returned a positive roadside test for alcohol and was arrested at the checkpoint.
"A positive test was returned at the Station and a Fixed Penalty Notice will be issued in the case. One car was impounded under Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act for no NCT and 12 other Road Traffic offences were detected."
More than 40 Gardaí from across the whole of the Dublin Region were involved in the operation on Saturday morning.
Gardai were also active on social media and broadcast live video feed from the operation from the checkpoint on their social media channels Facebook and Twitter.
In total, at time of writing, 67,000 people viewed one of the live videos posted to Facebook as gardai explained what was happening on the M1.
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