Gardaí will be out in force on the roads over the coming days.

The Traffic Bureau say they will be manning breath testing checkpoints around the country over the festive period.

Hundreds of people have already been arrested in December alone for drink driving.

Tom Mullarkey, Regional Traffic Superintendent for the Eastern region, says people will be stopped and tested : “If you’re out on the roads and you are driving, expect to meet one of those checkpoints and when you do meet one of those checkpoints, expect that you will be breath tested.

“So the advice is, don’t drink and drive, if you are in your car, please don’t drink and you will have no difficulty when you do come to one of these checkpoints.”