One in 10 drivers (9 per cent) admit to drink-driving over the past 12 months according to research carried out by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
Over one quarter of these drivers said they had drank two or more alcoholic drinks before getting behind the wheel.
The current drink-driving limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood for a fully licensed driver, reducing to 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood for learner drivers.
The research carried out last December also found more men than women admitted to driving when they were over the limit in the past year, 12 per cent compared to 5 per cent.
The RSA has released the findings ahead of the June bank holiday this weekend, joined in an appeal by Gardaí and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety to urge road users not to drink and drive.
According to data from the RSA, 14 people have been killed and 64 people seriously injured over June bank holiday weekends since 2016.
While 92 per cent agreed that driving under the influence of alcohol seriously increases the risk of a collision, the survey also found that one quarter of drivers agreed there were times they may have been over the limit the morning after a night out.
RSA chief executive Sam Waide said the morning after is a "real danger zone" for drink-driving.
"A previous analysis of Garda Síochána Investigation Files for fatal collisions by the RSA, shows that 11 per cent of fatal collisions, in which a driver had consumed alcohol, occurred between 7am and 11am.
"There is no hard and fast rule about when it is safe to drive the morning after if you have been drinking the previous night., but motorists should allow at least one hour per standard drink for the alcohol to clear their system," Mr Waide said.
A standard drink is a half-pint, a small glass of wine or a standard measure of spirits.
For more information, visit drinkaware.ie.
