LIVE: Motorist caught travelling at more than twice the limit during Christmas crackdown

Thousands of motorists were caught speeding across Ireland over Christmas while 149 people were arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Gardai say the detections were made over the past week as part of its dedicated road traffic enforcement operation which will continue until next Monday (January 5).

In an update, issued this Wednesday, they say over 435 vehicles were seized by gardaí, between December 22 and December 28, for a range of offences under the Road Traffic Act, 1961.

In addition, approximately 150 Fixed Charge Notices were issued for the offence of using a mobile phone while driving and approximately 45 Fixed Charge Notices were issued for seat belt offences.

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In the latest update, gardai have highlighted a number of notable detections including one vehicle which was caught driving more than twice the speed limit. 

The motorist was detected travelling at 207km/hr in a 100km zone on the N18 in Ballinacurra Weston, just outside Limerick city. 

The detection was part of the Christmas road safety campaign, which started on Monday, December 1 and will continue up until January 5, 2026. 

Other high speeds included a vehicle travelling at 118km/hr in a 50km zone in Dublin 7, a vehicle travelling at 140km/hr in a 60km zone in County Donegal and a vehicle travelling at 164km/hr in a 120km zone on the M9 in County Kildare. 

During the fourth week of the operation, there were three fatalities on Irish roads and eight serious collisions that resulted in a number of people receiving serious and life-threatening injuries.

Gardai say they carried out nearly 2,100 checkpoints including testing for alcohol and drugs and that over 4,600 drivers were detected for speeding offences across the country.

An Garda Síochána is appealing to all those who will be taking to the roads over the New Year period to slow down, take extra care and to give your driving their full attention.