National 24-hour crackdown on speeding motorists begins

Gardaí say their ‘slow down’ campaign is aimed at raising awareness of speed

There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities where lower speed limits have been introduction. Photograph: Getty Images
There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities where lower speed limits have been introduction. Photograph: Getty Images

Gardaí have launched a national crackdown on speeding motorists.

A 24-hour “slow down” campaign began at 7am on Friday and will end at 7am on Saturday morning.

Gardaí stated that the objective is to reduce the number of speed-related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries.

They are hoping to increase compliance with speed limits and act as a deterrent to driving at excessive or inappropriate speed.

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According to figures produced by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities where lower speed limits have been introduction.

The decrease was 20 per cent in newly-created 50 km/h zones, 75 per cent in areas where the speed limit was reduced to 60 km/h and 15 per cent where it was reduced to 100 km/h between 2016 and 2017.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times