Number of people caught by Gardaí driving while on mobile phones has soared
The number of people caught by Gardaí driving while on their mobile phones has soared.
A total of 59,602 drivers were prosecuted for the deadly offence over the last three years, the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has revealed.
Last year 21,888 were caught and fined for using their phone while behind the wheel - 2,782 more than 2023.
And so far this year with only four months gone 6,073 have been found to be either illegally chattering away or texting while driving.
The data was disclosed by the Minister in response to parliamentary questions from Padraig O'Sullivan TD.
Minister O'Callaghan warned drivers to stop using a mobile phone behind the wheel because it can have deadly consequences.
He said; "The message from An Garda Siochana is very clear. Driving while on your phone distracts the driver and takes both their eyes and full attention away from the road.
"This is highly dangerous and potentially life threatening for drivers and other road users.
"Over the recent Easter Bank Holiday weekend 225 fixed charge offences were issued to drivers using mobile phones while driving, 73 were issued for no seatbelt and over 10 notices were issued to unaccompanied learner drivers.
"Every frontline Garda member now has a mobility device which is essentially a mobile phone that allows them to access a number of specialised Garda apps at the roadside.
"These include the ability to issue a Fixed Charge Notice, to check a vehicle's insurance status, if a vehicle is taxed and whether a driver is disqualified.
"These tasks can now be done within moments without the need to return to the station making much better use of their time."
He also confirmed that the Gardai now have more unmarked cars and motorbikes out on the roads than ever before as part of the national road safety clampdown.
He said 18609 were given fixed notice charges for driving while holding a mobile phone in 2022, 19,106 in 2023, 21,888 in 2024 and 6,0774 up until March 31 this year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
34 minutes ago
- Sunday World
Man with 145 convictions held knife to woman's throat during cocaine-fuelled burglary
Defendant with 145 previous convictions stated drugs 'blew the socks off me' This was after the man crashed a stolen car close to where she lived in Gyles Quay, a popular North Louth beach which was packed with cars on a sunny Sunday afternoon last year. James McDonagh (38), Dominic Street, Newry, Co. Down, appeared before Dundalk Circuit Court via video link for a sentence hearing. He has been in custody since the offending occurred. He pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, unlawfully using a car without consent, dangerous driving and driving without insurance, at Gyles Quay on June 23, 2024. Other charges including false imprisonment of a female are being taken into consideration. He told Gardaí who arrested him at the scene that he had taken too much cocaine. 'It blew the socks off me'. The defendant, one of 13 children, moved to Newry from Dundalk, and has 145 previous convictions on both sides of the border. Judge Dara Hayes adjourned the matter to June 19 and said that there will be a 'significant sentence'. Gardaí had been alerted by the PSNI about a stolen BMW which had crossed the border. A car was spotted acting suspiciously around Bellurgan, north of Dundalk, but despite extensive searches throughout the early hours of the morning it could not to be located. Around 2pm this car was seen on the main Carlingford Road. It turned for Gyles Quay and went into a car park. Gyles Quay basking in glorious sunshine on a day similar to the incident. Photo: Ken Finegan/ News in 90 Seconds - 7th June Det Gda Eimear Gallagher in plain clothes and a colleague wearing full uniform approached the BMW. Its driver's door was open. A man was in the front seat. He didn't engage with the officers and reached down. Det Gda Gallagher testified that she feared he had a weapon. The driver turned on the ignition. She asked him to get out. By this stage the other guard was standing in front of the car. The engine was being revved and Det Gda Gallagher told her colleague to move. At that point Mr McDonagh took off at such speed that the car was 'bouncing' across the potholed surface as he left the car park. The two Gardaí raced to their vehicle and once on the move activated the blue lights and siren to try to get the BMW to stop and to warn pedestrians. One man had to lift a buggy containing a child out of the way to avoid being hit by the defendant as he sped past. Read more The car struck a parked van and as it continued back towards the main road it mounted a footpath on which there were a lot of pedestrians before colliding with a wall and coming to a stop. The driver got out and ran. He had a large silver knife in his right hand and a hammer in the other. He scaled a fence and ran along the beach towards Ferguson's caravan park. Meanwhile, a woman living in a bungalow at the park was sitting on a sofa. It was so warm she had the back doors open. Suddenly, around 3pm, a man came through the door with what she described as a butcher's knife. He had something else in his other hand but she was only focused on the knife. He had blood on his face. He screamed for her car keys and demanded money. The woman's young son came out of his room and was screaming. The woman was in such fear that she was willing to co-operate to protect her son. She couldn't find the keys. McDonagh held the knife to her throat until she found them. While this was going on armed Gardaí had arrived outside. The victim saw them. The man ran and was chased through the house by the guards and out the back door. Det Gda Gallagher told the mother and child to stay inside and not come out until Gardaí returned. Outside, one of the other officers pulled his gun and the man lay down on grass. He was arrested there by Det Gda Gallagher at 3.04pm, some 500m from the house. The man said: 'I think I took too much cocaine. It blew the socks off me. I took the car. I didn't know it was wanted. I was driving nice and slow. I was washing up 'Coke' to do 'Crack'. 'I didn't know they were guards. I put the boot down and drove off. I panicked and I crashed.' Later, he added: 'Jesus, I didn't do a burglary, did I? Only slagging.' McDonagh said that he wasn't going to use the knife. "I was only scaring her. I saw youse outside and I ran. You got me.' He denied putting a knife to the woman's throat. "She walked to me. She must have wanted a claim or something.' "I could get big time. I'm sorry for what I said and what I did.' He signed the memos of interview. The court heard of 145 previous convictions – 85 in the Republic of Ireland and sixty in the North. These included unauthorised taking of vehicles, theft, possession of a knife, robbery, trespass, assault, burglary, assaulting police and drugs possession. Gda Laura O'Connor read out out a harrowing Victim Impact Statement which detailed how the woman and her family had moved to Ireland hoping for a safe and better quality of life. Her husband lost his life tragically here. She spoke of her son screaming for his life and the ongoing consequences of the attack. She felt completely unsafe in her own home. There were flashbacks of the knife against her throat. Her son's terrifying screams haunted her. She thanked the Gardaí. It was stated in a probation report that James McDonagh accepted full responsibility. He had taken a combination of drugs with whiskey when he stole the vehicle in Northern Ireland to sell across the border to buy cocaine. He identified as a member of the Travelling community, the second youngest of 13 children. His parents moved to Newry and he intends to live with his brother in Dundalk. Single, and the father of two adult children, he had never worked and was reliant on social welfare. The defendant was on methadone and continued to use drugs in custody. He was assessed at high risk of reoffending. Judge Hayes said that he was grateful to the victim for coming to court. It was of much assistance to him. 'It was a horrifying experience for you and your son. I'm dreadfully sorry. It's unimaginable how awful it must have been for you and your son.' The judge said these were extremely serious offences. He allowed time for a drugs counsellor's report to be prepared. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Sunday World
34 minutes ago
- Sunday World
Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint
This week, Michael Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí. Michael Kelley (right) is a suspect in the murder of Mike Gaine (left), but he has complained to Fiosrú about garda treatment Two probes have been launched into the garda investigation of the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine. The Sunday World can reveal that last night the chief suspect for Mr Gaine's murder has made a formal complaint about his treatment by gardaí. American national Michael Kelley has lodged a complaint with Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, formerly known as the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc). This is the agency that deals with complaints about the conduct of gardaí from members of the public. Mr Kelley, a Tralee-based former soldier, has been arrested as a murder suspect, but denies any involvement. He was released without charge. This week, Mr Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí. When contacted by the Sunday World, a spokeswoman for the ombudsman said she could not comment on the matter. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan TD and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. This revelation came just hours after Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed the investigation into the murder of Mr Gaine is under 'peer review'. He said: 'We're subjecting that to a peer review because I do think there is learning for us around those who would commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body, and often are successful in disposing of the body.' It is not known what exactly forms the basis for the complaint made to the watchdog by Mr Kelley. However, in previous media interviews, Mr Kelley has been critical of the investigation that led to his arrest. 'The only person who can make a legitimate complaint to Fiosrú in matters such as these is the subject of the garda investigation or a witness to what happened,' a source said. 'As we all know, there were no witnesses to the murder of Michael Gaine,' they added. Mr Kelley, who has denied any involvement in Mr Gaine's murder, was arrested on May 18. That was just over 36 hours after Mr Gaine's body parts were discovered in slurry that was being spread on farmland. He was later released without charge. Gardaí believe Mr Gaine was dismembered after he was killed, and that the body parts were dumped in a 50,000-gallon slurry tank on the property. Mike Gaine (left) and Michael Kelley (right) News in 90 Seconds - 7th June As part of the investigation, a full background check is being carried out on Mr Kelley, who had been living on Mr Gaine's farm and working as a farmhand for a number of years. Speaking yesterday in Templemore, Co Tipperary, the Garda Commissioner said there were lessons to be learnt from homicides that begin as a missing person case. He said gardaí have seen a real pattern around this in recent years, and they want to be sure that they have an investigative mindset in relation to a crime having been committed around a missing person report. Mr Harris said gardaí have reviewed all missing persons reports and found no other homicide cases. He also revealed that the investigation into the murder of Tina Satchwell will also be reviewed. Ms Satchwell's husband Richard was sentenced to life in prison earlier this week for her murder, after he buried her body under the stairs of their home in Youghal, Co Cork. It is understood the review of the Satchwell case will take the form of a thematic review. As part of the review, specific aspects of the original investigation will be examined to identify any problems or areas of the inquiry where lessons can be learnt, and improvements made to similar investigations in the future. Mr Harris said that 'in hindsight', it may have been 'very obvious' where Ms Satchwell's remains were. He said the 2017 search for Ms Satchwell did 'harvest' a 'huge' amount of information, which was useful in the re-examination of the case. Mr Harris said: 'All of those were crucial. So I would say the initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter. 'There's far more information to hand which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead. 'When you look at hindsight, some of these things can seem very obvious, but in the moment, what was known, what was being said in terms of sighting, what was being said in terms of the victim by her husband – one has to recognise the victimology that was being applied here. 'His suppression of her, the coercive control that obviously she was subject to for many years, her isolation in that particular community, that meant there was very few other people we could speak to [about] what Tina Satchwell's life was like. 'It was a complex investigation. Yes, the house was searched in 2017, forensic scientists also accompanied that search, it was subject to thorough examination and looked for blood splatter, none was found.' Mr Harris said a report would be compiled and given to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on the investigation into Ms Satchwell's disappearance.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
'One of the most unusual and saddest cases', judge tells man (24) whose partner died after festival drug use
The District Court was told that the defendant Brian Carroll has now made a commitment to living a "drug-free life". Mr Carroll, of Cedarmount Road, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA and cannabis and appeared before Judge Conor Fottrell at Dún Laoghaire District Court on Wednesday. The court heard that Mr Carroll and his girlfriend had attended the Forbidden Fruit festival on June 2, 2024, where they both consumed drugs, while further substances were taken later at a house in south Dublin. The woman was found unresponsive later that night and died as a result. Mr Carroll had been in a relationship with the deceased for two and a half years. Gardaí who carried out a search of the house recovered cannabis worth €44, €16 of MDMA and a small quantity of cocaine. Garda Harry Poole told the court that the drugs were for personal use and were at the lower end of the scale. The court heard that Mr Carroll later voluntarily attended a garda station, gave a full account of what occurred and has not come to garda attention since. Judge Fottrell initially questioned whether the District Court had jurisdiction to hear the case, given the serious background circumstances. 'I appreciate the plea before the court today, but this is a serious matter,' he said. 'I'm not sure it's a District Court matter.' Defence solicitor Mark O'Sullivan said it was a tragic accident and argued that the case before the court concerned a minor possession matter. 'That's all the court is being asked to hear today,' he said. After considering the details, Judge Fottrell accepted jurisdiction. 'On the basis of what's before me, the circumstances are tragic. I'll accept jurisdiction.' Mr O'Sullivan told the court that Mr Carroll and the deceased had bought the drugs together, but the woman had taken more than his client. He said his client was fully cooperative, had no previous convictions, and had voluntarily presented himself to Gardaí. Letters were handed into court from Kilmacud Medical Centre and the Community Addiction Response Programme. The court heard Mr Carroll had engaged in trauma counselling following the incident, tested negative for drugs in recent months and remained in full-time employment. He had also volunteered with Little Flower Penny Dinners during the Covid-19 pandemic. The woman's father and sister were present in court. 'On behalf of my client, I extend our sympathies to the family,' Mr O'Sullivan said. 'Relations remain good between them. This was an absolute tragedy.' In a personal letter to the court, the man expressed remorse and a commitment to living a drug-free life. Judge Fottrell acknowledged the man's remorse, the steps he had taken since and the tragic nature of the case. 'This is a tragic case,' he said. 'The consequences were anything but minor. However, the value of the drugs involved is low, and there are no previous convictions". 'You've pleaded guilty, made full admissions, and taken meaningful steps since. I don't propose to impose a conviction. "This is one of the most unusual and saddest cases to come before the court. I hope you continue your recovery," the judge said, addressing the defendant. Judge Fottrell concluded the matter without a conviction, following a €1,000 charitable donation.
