Fewer Garda checkpoints in Donegal as incidence of drug driving cases rises

The number of Garda drink and drug driving checkpoints in Donegal has fallen despite a sharp rise in drug driving cases coming before the courts.

Figures from the Garda PULSE system collated by MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú show that Mandatory Intoxication Testing (MIT) checkpoints in Donegal dropped by more than 10 per cent between the third quarter of 2024 and the same period in 2025.

Gardaí carried out 463 checkpoints in Donegal in between July and September 2024, compared with 415 in the same three month period in 2025.

The reduction in checkpoints comes at a time when drug driving cases have risen significantly, according to data from the Courts Service.

Cases before the court in the north of the county (covering sittings of the Buncrana, Carndonagh, Dungloe, Falcarragh, Glenties and Letterkenny district courts) increased by 52 per cent, while in district number 2 (which covers sittings of the Ballyshannon and Donegal district courts, as well as Leitrim and Sligo) drug driving cases were up by 67 per cent.

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Nationally, Garda data shows a similar downward trend in roadside testing. A total of 12,930 Mandatory Intoxication Testing checkpoints were carried out across the State in Q3 2024, falling by more than 7 percent to 11,958 checkpoints in the same period in 2025.

A comparison with pre-pandemic figures shows an even more pronounced drop. In Q3 2019, Gardaí conducted 15,392 MIT checkpoints nationally - 3,434 more than were carried out during the same quarter in 2025.

The decline in checkpoints has occurred against the backdrop of an increase in road fatalities. A total of 140 people were killed on Irish roads in 2019, compared with 185 deaths in 2025.MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a member of the EU's Transport Committee, said the reduction in roadside testing was a cause for concern, particularly given what she described as rising levels of drug driving. She said figures obtained from the Courts Service show a 37 per cent increase in drug driving cases coming before district courts nationally in the first ten months of 2025.

She has called on Garda management to explain why the number of checkpoints has decreased at a time when road deaths remain high, and has questioned whether resources are a factor.

Ní Mhurchú has also raised the issue in the context of bank holiday weekends, which are traditionally associated with higher levels of serious road collisions.

Legislation passed in 2023 was expected to allow for the introduction of double penalty points for certain driving offences during bank holiday periods, but the measure has yet to be implemented. The Fianna Fáil MEP has written to party colleague and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien seeking clarification on whether the provision will be enacted and, if not, the reasons for the delay.