Motorist caught driving at 179km/h in a 60km/h zone in Granard

An extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation was in place between 7am Thursday April 17 until 7am this morning.

There were three fatalities on Irish roads during the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

Eleven serious collisions took place that resulted in twelve people receiving serious and life-threatening injuries.

Throughout the weekend, over 2800 drivers were detected for speeding offences by An Garda Síochána.

Among the notable speeds detected was a motorist driving at 179km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R194 in Granard, Co. Longford.

Meanwhile in Dunboyne, County Meath a motorist was caught driving at a speed of 139km/h in a 80km/h zone on the R157. Another was detected at 125 km/h in a 50 Km/h on the R394 Milltown Castlepollard road in Co. Westmeath.

Over this Bank Holiday period, An Garda Síochána carried also out more than 912 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints.

Over 4,500 breath tests and 213 oral fluid tests were performed. These led to 149 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

Fixed Charge Offences were given to 225 motorists who were caught using their mobile phones while driving.

While over 160 Fixed Charge Offences were given to unaccompanied learner drivers and 73 for not wearing a seatbelt while driving.

One hundred and nine vehicles were seized from learner permit holders driving unaccompanied, while 438 vehicles were seized for having no tax or insurance.

An Garda Síochána continue to appeal to all road users to never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to slow down and to always choose a speed that is appropriate to the driving conditions, to wear your seatbelt and keep your eyes always on the road.