A 24-hour Garda campaign to get motorists to curb their speed is taking place today.
Operation Slow Down aims to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive speed and reduce the number of speed related accidents, which Gardaí hope will save lives and reduce injuries on Irish roads.
The campaign began at 7am this morning and will continue until 7am tomorrow.
Highly visible speed checkpoints are in place on national primary and secondary roads, operated by Gardaí and GoSafe.
Gardaí are also giving road safety advice and distributing leaflets in their local area as part of the initiative.
Statistics show fatal accidents are most likely to occur on Fridays and Saturdays, and July and August are the peak months for crashes.
A total of 96 people have been killed in road crashes so far this year, with 25 in June. Another 97,000 drivers were detected for speeding offences.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said a speed limit is not a target.
“What we are dealing with here is people’s lives,” he said. “We are forever asking people to co-operate with us on a variety of issues, particularly around crime prevention and reduction. But road traffic accidents and reducing fatalities are just as important.”
Additional reporting - PA
