The National Survey of Driver Attitudes & Behaviour is a cornerstone of the Road Safety Authority research programme. It establishes the incidence of errant driving behaviour and habits among Irish motorists and determines their attitudes to a series of road safety measures; and analyses the extent to which these attitudes and behaviours are consistent both across demographic criteria and over time. The research comprised a nationally representative online survey of 1,259 motorists aged 17+.

P.44 Alcohol - Driven a Motor Vehicle After Consuming Any Alcohol (Past 12 Months) - 12% drove after consuming alcohol—above the long-run average. Rates are higher among males (16%), SRV High (28%) and those who have been in a collision (32%).

Driven a Motor Vehicle After Consuming Any Alcohol (Past 12 Months) - Of motorists who drove after driving alcohol in the past 12 months, 1 in 3 had two or more drinks. This incidence of those have 2+ drinks has increased by 6ppts since last year (33% vs 27%).

How Much Alcohol Can You Consume and Be Safe to Drive? - 61% have a zero-alcohol standard before driving. Among those who drove after drinking, only 8% report a zero-alcohol standard, indicating a highly distinct and worrying pattern within this group.

Checked by the Police for Alcohol while Driving a Car (Past 12 Months) - 17% of motorists were breath-tested at least once in the past year (+5 pts vs 2024). Among those who drove after drinking, 23% recall being checked; younger motorists also report higher contact.

Alcohol and Drug Driving Attitudes 2025 - Safety norms remain strong: 89% agree drink-driving greatly increases collision risk; 73% say one drink can impair driving ability. Social unacceptability is high for alcohol (80%) and illicit drugs (78%). 23% of motorists continue to indicate there were times where they may have been over the limit when driving the morning after a night out.

The attitudes of those who drove after drinking differ markedly: 69% find short local trips after one drink acceptable & only 39% agree one drink can impair driving; 44% of this group agree with the ‘morning after’ statement.

P.51 Alcohol and Driving: Summary 2025 - The summary table in the report illustrates the distinct profile of those who drove after consuming alcohol in the past 12 months in comparison to ‘All Motorists’.

P.52 Driving and Medication 2025 - 47% took ‘any’ medication before driving, 10 ppts higher than pre-Covid (47% vs 37% in 2019); a similar increase over the same period can be seen in the use of prescription medicines ahead of driving (34% vs. 24%).
Illicit drugs - 1% (100% of this group had also consumed alcohol (Caution very low base (n-14) reference only)).

P.53 Likelihood to be Checked by the Police (Typical Journey) - Perceived likelihoods of being checked ‘on a typical journey’ by Gardai has risen in 2025: alcohol 11%, drugs 10%, hand-held mobile 13%. Target groups also report higher expectations of checks.