Bank holidays are now a traditional focus for road safety campaigns, which remain absolutely necessary. Sergeant Robbie Stone pointed out that while Ms Thomas was successfully prosecuted, “...it was necessary to prove that through a substantial investigation. “She [Ms Thomas] claimed at the time that Sheila [Dunne] had been driving. That made it so much harder to prove.”Gardaí learned subsequently that Ms Thomas had had 12 alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is involved in over one-third of Irish road deaths where toxicology results are available, while Road Safety Authority data shows that 12% of drivers admit to drink-driving.

Source: Irish Examiner April 04, 2026 00:47 UTC