Speeding detections have fallen in the period since Drew Harris directed all uniformed gardaí to do 30 minutes of road policing per shift, according to enforcement data from gardaí. The figures also show increases in detections for intoxicated driving, mobile phone-use, unaccompanied learner drivers, uninsured motorists and disqualified drivers over the same period.
The directive for each frontline officer to carry out 30 minutes of high-visibility was introduced by the Garda Commissioner in April this year in response to a sharp increase in road deaths in recent years. A year-on-year comparison of road safety enforcement data following the introduction of the 30-minute directive shows 60,394 fixed charge notices were issued for speeding between April and August 2024 compared with 70,512 during the same period in 2023.
In a statement, An Garda Síochána said the decision to instruct every frontline officer to undertake 30 minutes of roads policing on every shift was based on an approach used by police in Sweden, which is considered a world leader in terms of road safety.
A Garda spokesman said the decline in speeding detections since April was potentially as a result of a “significant level of compliance with speed limits”. He said there remained significant concern over the number of risky drivers who break speed limits, with examples seen by officers and on social media. This clearly showed “that a percentage of drivers are not demonstrating their social responsibility in using the roads safely with others”.
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There was a small increase in drink driving arrests from 3,614 to 3,776 over the same comparative period, while detections for mobile phone-use by drivers rose from 8,437 between April and August 2023 to 10,166 for the equivalent period this year.
Some 11,537 uninsured drivers received a summons between April and August in 2024, compared to 8,516 over the same five-month period last year.
Detections of unaccompanied learner drivers rose to 4,596, compared to 3,581 last year, while 6,311 drivers received a summons “for driving without a licence”. This is higher than the 5,406 summons issued for this offence between April and August 2023.
There were 68 road traffic deaths between April and August this year, down from 84 over the same period in 2023. However, for the full year to September 13th there have been 130 road deaths, one more than the same period last year.
Gardaí who spoke to The Irish Times said the directive from Mr Harris in April had perhaps concentrated minds within the force on the need to constantly police the roads and ensure that work was a priority. “I think guards were doing this work anyway and now they are just recording it for each shift,” said one. “But if you are giving 30 minutes to the roads now and you weren’t before other things will suffer.”
Another said the drop in speeding detections may be due to some motorists being more reluctant to speed because they knew added emphasis was being placed on roads policing. However, it was “impossible to be sure”.
Another garda said it was crucial garda numbers were increased. “Numbers are too low and roads policing, like anything else, is going to suffer. Rather than this ‘30 minutes per shift’ idea, which a lot of people think is all about optics, really we should have more (gardaí) in roads policing.”
By early April this year – a week before Mr Harris issued his directive – the number of road deaths in 2024 had reached 58, some 16 higher than the same period last year.
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