Worrying rise in drunk driving offences in Louth

There has been a worrying increase in the number of offences recorded in relation to driving/in charge of a vehicle while over legal alcohol limit offences in the Louth Garda Division, according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The first three months of this year (Q1) saw 53 offences recorded in Louth, as well as 50 in the final three months (Q4) of 2024, 103 in total. This compares to 65 offences recorded in the previous two quarters, which represents a 58.5% increase.

In the 12 months to the end of March 2025, 168 offences were recorded in Louth, up from 144 the previous 12 months, a rise of 16.7%. The 53 offences recorded in the Q1 of 2025 represents a 39.5% increase on the 38 offences recorded in the same quarter of last year.

There has also, in contrast, been a significant fall in the number of offences recorded in relation to driving/in charge of a vehicle under the influence of drugs, with no incidents recorded in Louth in the first quarter of this year, and 18 in total in the 12 months to the end of Q1 2025.

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This compares to eight offences recorded in the first quarter of last year. 32 offences were recorded in Louth in the 12 months to the end of Q1 2024, which represents a fall of 43.8%.