'Do you realise how dangerous that is?' - Gardaí catch distracted driver outside busy school

A distracted driver was caught out by Gardaí on Tuesday outside a busy school in Limerick.

In a video posted to X by An Garda Síochána, the oblivious motorist was caught on their phone whilst also not wearing their seatbelt correctly.

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Upon seeing the driver, Gardaí pulled them over and handed them a fine along with three penalty points.

In the video, footage from inside the Garda car shows the two Gardaí looking at the driver as they drove past.

The Garda then pulls the motorist to the side, motions for them to wind the window down and says,

"Why were you on your phone? You also have your seatbelt behind your back."

The Garda then tells the driver to put the phone down and pull over when it is safe to do so.

"You know you shouldn't be on your phone...and you realise how distracting that was the fact that I was standing right beside you in a high visibility jacket and you still didn't see me? Do you realise how dangerous that is?

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"Do you see what we're going past? A school...with young kids coming in and out. You had the safety belt behind your back, so you weren't wearing your safety belt properly.

"So that's an offense," the Garda continued, "It carries a €120 fine, and it's also three penalty points, so make sure to get it paid. But, more importantly, will you please try to be safe on the roads? And, will you wear your safety belt properly before you pull off, please."

Never drive while distracted, and always wear your seatbelt. #KeepingPeopleSafe #RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/0z6IJXLOEr

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) October 28, 2025

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Earlier this week, Gardaí caught more than 3,000 drivers speeding excessively, 300 drivers using their mobile phones while driving and conducted more than 4,790 roadside breath tests during an extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation which was in place from 7am on Thursday, October 23, until 7am on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, to ensure road safety during the October Bank Holiday weekend.

During this period, there was one fatality on our roads, while seven serious collisions resulted in eight individuals sustaining serious injuries.

Over the course of the operation, An Garda Síochána conducted 820 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints. More than 4,790 breath tests and approximately 215 oral fluid tests were carried out. There were 153 arrests for suspected driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

• 91km/h in 50km/h zone in Santry, Co Dublin
• 127km/h in 60km/h zone on N15 at Stranorlar, Co Donegal
• 134km/h in 80km/h zone on R148 in Broadford, Co Kildare
• 174km/h in 100km/h zone on N24 at Caherconlish, Limerick

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• Using Mobile Phones – 300
• Unaccompanied learner drivers – more than 140
• No seatbelts – more than 80

• 87 vehicles were seized from learner permit holders driving unaccompanied
• More than 345 vehicles were seized for having no tax or insurance