454 drivers have been detected breaking the speed limit on National Slow Down Day.
One was spotted doing 90 kilometres per hour on Cork Street in Dublin 8 which is a 50km zone.
Another was doing 119km per hour on the N4 at Lucan which is an 80km zone, while in Kildare a motorist reached 152 km per hour on the 120 km M7 at Mooretown.
Almost 90,000 vehicles have been checked so far, and the operation continues until 7am tomorrow.
During the first two hours of National “Slow Down Day” Gardaí and GoSafe conducted speed checks on 24,922 vehicles and detected 123 vehicles travelling in excess of the local speed limits.
More information is available here: https://t.co/oimLryXTCZ#SlowDown #SlowDownSaveLives pic.twitter.com/f0OLZU5e8b— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) March 1, 2022
Gardai are appealing to drivers to comply with speed limits, with the operation continuing until 7am tomorrow morning.
Chief Superintendent Michael Hennebry Garda National Roads Policing Bureau says: "I would like to thank the majority of those who travel within the speed limits. However, our enforcement operations continue to detect motorists traveling at speeds significantly above the posted speed limits. This reckless behaviour poses a serious risk not just to the motorists themselves, but to all the road users, especially vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists. This is not just about speeding enforcement detections. It's about saving lives."
"As a general rule a 1% reduction in average speed will bring about a 4% reduction in fatal collisions, and this is why reducing motorists’ speed is essential to improving road safety."
Sam Waide, CEO, Road Safety Authority, says: "Excessive speed continues to be a leading contributory factor in fatal and serious injury collisions in Ireland and internationally. It has been estimated that 30% of fatal collisions are the result of speeding or inappropriate speed. Evidence shows that many drivers are choosing to speed in our towns, villages and on rural roads.
"The RSA’s Free Speed observational study found that half of all drivers (52%) were observed speeding on urban roads and over a quarter (27%) were speeding on rural roads.
"This National Slow Down Day, and indeed every day, please remember the faster you drive, the more likely you are to crash which could result in death or serious injury."
