Drug driving cases rise in Wicklow as national figures surge

By Darragh McCann, The Wicklow People

Drug driving prosecutions have increased by 37pc nationwide, with Wicklow among the district court areas recording a steady increase in cases in 2025.

New figures from the Irish Courts Service show that 2,050 individuals were before district courts across the country for drug driving offences between January 2025 and October 2025, compared to 1,499 in 2024.

In Wicklow, the number has increased by 8pc, rising from 26 in 2024 to 28 in 2025, reflecting a broader national trend which has seen prosecutions rise since 2020.

Nationally, drug driving cases have increased more than five times in the past five years, rising from 390 prosecutions in 2020. The biggest increases were in Mullingar, with an increase of 562 pc, and Longford Second, with a 443 pc increase.

Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú said the sharp escalation this year was “particularly alarming” and warned that the cases reaching court may represent only “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to drug driving on Irish roads.

She called for increased roadside drug testing during the Christmas period, saying greater enforcement was urgently needed to protect road users.

“We need an expanded roadside drug testing regime this Christmas period on our roads,” she said. “We also need to consider policies whereby anyone convicted of drug driving is required to re sit their driving test or, at a minimum, complete a comprehensive driver re education programme.”

Ms Ní Mhurchú also suggested the introduction of modified interlock technology, devices currently used to prevent drink driving, which could be adapted to detect drug use in the vehicles of repeat offenders.

The Wicklow figures form part of a wider pattern of sharp regional increases across the country, with Dublin recording the highest number of cases overall, with 542 prosecutions in the first ten months of 2025.

The renewed focus on drug driving comes amid ongoing concerns about road safety, with 170 people having lost their lives on Irish roads so far this year.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said decisive action was needed to curb the growing threat of drug driving and to restore public confidence in road safety.