The new penalty points system for speeding drivers appears to be having an immediate effect with gardaí reporting lower detections than normal.
Gardaí from a number of traffic units across the State said there was no doubt drivers were being more cautious and "appear to be travelling slower".
However, Dublin Regional Traffic Division reported they had stopped between eight to ten motorists speeding on the Stillorgan dual carriageway - a notorious speeding blackspot - in the space of an hour this morning.
A spokesman said the drivers had been stopped and issued with tickets and would be receiving penalty points. But he said detections on this stretch of road were down overall.
Gardaí in Cork from the Fermoy traffic unit reported six detections today but said this was "way lower" than usual. A spokesman said the new rules have had a "definite impact".
In Co Louth, gardaí said "people have certainly slowed down" and detections on main Dublin-to-Belfast road were down. A spokesman said the new system had certainly had an effect.
In Portlaoise, a Garda spokesman said it was "very sedate" on the roads and there were queues leading into some 30 and 40 mph zones which suggested traffic was moving slower.
A spokesman for the Naas traffic unit said his officers had reported motorists were taking it easier and "slowing down in built up areas". However, he warned that it was premature to consider the effect of the new system.
The new penalty points system came in operation today but only for speeding offences. A driver caught speeding will receive an increased fine of €80 and two penalty points. Twelve points in a three-year period will result in the loss of one's licence for six months.
Fine Gael's spokesperson on transport, Mr Denis Naughten, warned badly located and damaged speed limit signs throughout the State will become the scourge of motorists in the wake of the new system's introduction.
Mr Naughten said: "Thousands of damaged speed limit signs, or those which have been destroyed and not replaced, will cause drivers to inadvertently break the speed limit".
A conference today called for more cross-border co-operation in policing to cut the number of deaths on Ireland's roads.
A major scheme aimed at reducing more than 40,000 deaths on Europe's roads was adopted by the police chiefs north and south at the annual conference of Tispol, the body representing traffic policing in Europe.
