341 people have been arrested on suspicion of drink driving in the two weeks since the Road Safety Authority and gardaí began a Christmas and New Year campaign against driving under the influence of alcohol.

This is up 89 people on the same period last year, a rise of 35%.

Earlier this month, gardaí said there would be an increase in the number of mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints around the country for six weeks from December 1.

Gardaí said there has been 3,517 Mandatory Alcohol Testing checkpoints across the country since the start of the campaign, up from 2,420 for the same period last year.

According to the RSA, alcohol was a factor in 38% of fatal collisions between 2008 and 2012, claiming the lives of 286 people.

182 people have lost their lives on Irish roads so far this year, an increase of 34 on this date in 2015.

341 arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in first two weeks of December, up 89 on last year. pic.twitter.com/8VXt1BgMnO — Sandra Hurley (@sandra_hurley) December 16, 2016

Garda Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn said that 341 drivers had "failed to heed the repeated road safety messages that have been widely broadcast across every available media platform in relation to drinking and driving".

He continued: "I appeal again to every driver thinking of taking a chance with their life or someone else’s. Don’t do it - never, ever drink and drive.

"We will continue to seek out these high-risk drivers over the coming weeks on a 24/7 basis, to make the roads safer for all road users."