The number of people caught driving under the influence of drugs in Kerry increased by 58% in 2020.
According to figures released during the Joint Policing Committee meeting, 90 people were caught driving under the influence of drugs last year in the county.
This is a significant increase on 2019, when 57 people were caught for the same offence on Kerry roads.
Chief Superintendent of the Kerry Garda Division, Eileen Foster, says this increase is a very worrying concern for Gardaí, and should be a very worrying concern for wider society.
She added that drugs are now being used in every town and village in the country.
Meanwhile, the number of people caught driving under the influence of alcohol on the county's roads dropped 40%, from 259 in 2019 to 154 in 2020.
This decrease is reflected in the overall figures for people caught driving intoxicated by any substance in Kerry for 2020, which dropped 23%.
There were 316 people caught driving intoxicated in Kerry in 2019, this fell to 244 in 2020.
The Chief Superintendent says this overall decrease is mainly because not as many vehicles were on the roads in 2020.
