Mayo gardaí seize two vehicles after spotting child without seatbelt during road safety campaign
A car in the Claremorris area of County Mayo was stopped after Gardaí noticed a child in the backseat not wearing a seatbelt.
Gardaí from the Mayo Roads Policing Unit were conducting a checkpoint as part of the ongoing Christmas Road Safety Campaign.
After speaking with the driver, Gardaí used the Garda Mobility App and discovered that the driver was currently disqualified.
The driver also had five active penalty points on their licence.
A second vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint, and the driver was found to be uninsured.
An Garda Síochána Mayo confirmed that both vehicles were impounded, and both drivers now face the prospect of a court appearance.
The Christmas Road Safety Campaign was launched on Monday, 1 December 2025, and will continue until Monday, 5 January 2026.
Over the Christmas period, Gardaí are conducting extensive road traffic enforcement operations, focusing on detecting drink and drug drivers and discouraging risky behaviours such as speeding, mobile phone use, and failure to wear seatbelts.
In the second week of the campaign, from Monday, 8 December to Sunday, 14 December, there were eight fatalities on Irish roads and 17 serious collisions, resulting in a number of serious and life-threatening injuries.
Over the week, An Garda Síochána carried out more than 1,738 checkpoints, including statutory Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) and high-visibility policing operations.
Over the course of the week, 147 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Over 3,265 drivers were detected speeding, with the assistance of GoSafe mobile safety camera vans, and Gardaí seized more than 600 vehicles for a range of offences under the Road Traffic Act 1961.
Approximately 330 Fixed Charge Notices were issued for mobile phone use while driving, and around 85 Fixed Charge Notices were issued for seatbelt offences.
An Garda Síochána has urged all road users to exercise extra caution over the Christmas period and to adhere strictly to road safety laws.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.