Police make 43 arrests for drink and drug driving over Easter

Police have recorded hundreds of road safety detections across the north during the Easter holiday period with provisional police figures as of 14th April, revealing that 43 arrests were made for drink or drug driving offences.

The detections were made between Friday, 3 April, and midnight on Monday, 6 April, covering offences including drink or drug driving, excess speed, careless driving, dangerous driving, no insurance, mobile phone use and failure to wear a seatbelt.

The provisional figures released 14 April show 667 speed detections were recorded across Northern Ireland over the four-day period. Of those, 621 were captured by Road Safety Camera Vans deployed at various locations across Northern Ireland. A further 42 detections were made for driving without insurance, 10 drivers were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel, and six were detected not wearing a seatbelt.

Head of Road Policing, Chief Inspector Celeste Simpson, said the provisional figures show too many drivers continue to put themselves and others at risk. "Anyone who chooses to get into a car and drive when intoxicated, or chooses not to wear a seatbelt, drives dangerously or carelessly, or is using their phone behind the wheel, does so because they don't think the worst will ever happen to them. They've made a choice, and it's these type of choices that risk the lives of drivers, their passengers and other road users."

Chief Inspector Simpson also highlighted the wider toll being seen on Northern Ireland's roads so far this year. "Tragically, 22 people have died on roads across Northern Ireland since the start of 2026. This is more than a statistic. These are catastrophic losses for everyone impacted."

Appealing directly to road users, Chief Inspector Simpson added: "To drivers and road users, you are responsible for your own safety and that of other road users. Safe driving is not down to luck. It requires discipline and your 100 per cent focus on the road at all times. We can and must do more to help reduce the number of injuries and deaths on our roads, and our Fatal Five campaign must become your daily reminder of what you need to do to stay safe. Stay focused, control your speed, put down your phone, never drink or drug drive, don't get distracted and always wear your seatbelt."