Only 40% of drink driving cases brought to the District Courts since January 2013 have resulted in conviction, according to statistics released by the Department of Justice.
The figures were as low as 28% over the first five months of 2015, which don't compare favourably to the 97% conviction rate in England and Wales.
Between January 2013 and May 2015, over 20,000 people were due to stand in front of District Courts for drink driving, but only 6,709 were convicted.
Kerry had the lowest conviction rate, just 29%, while Offaly had the highest at 68%.
One court didn't convict a single person accused of drunk driving, while another had a conviction rate as low as 10%.
Shockingly, only 20% of those convicted had their licence numbers recorded in court. The RSA and the Gardai need the licence numbers recorded so they can easily identify people banned from driving.
In Ballyhaunis, Cill Rónáin, Kenmare, Ardee, Co Louth, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick, and Edenderry, Co Offaly, nobody convicted of drunk driving had their license number taken.
Via Irish Times
