Gardai are carrying out a 24-hour speed enforcement operation in an intiative the force has labelled “national slow down day” (Barbara McCarthy writes).
From 7am this morning to 7am tomorrow “intensive” speed checks will be carried out on national and secondary roads. Gardai have warned motorists that it will use its full arsenal of anti-speeding technology, including hand-held detection lasers, camera vans and in-car systems. Privately operated Go-Safe vehicles will also be deployed in some of the 727 speed enforcement areas listed on the garda website.
A recent analysis of speeding offences found that 11 per cent of those caught were driving more than 30 km/h over the limit, and 79 per cent were between 10 and 29 km/h over. Almost half of all speeding offences happened in a 50km/h zone.
“As a general rule a 1 per cent reduction in average speed will bring about a 2 per cent reduction in in minor injury collisions, a 3 per cent reduction in serious injury collisions and a 4 per cent reduction in fatal collisions,” a garda statment said.
A total of 106 people have been killed on the roads so far this year, 21 fewer than during the same period in 2014. Almost 109,000 fixed charges were issued for speeding offences by the end of June.
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A drop in the number of drink-driving and mobile phone-related convictions had raised concerns that gardai were not enforcing road safety laws.
3,649 motorists were caught drink-driving in the first six months of 2015, a fall of 6 per cent. However 13 per cent fewer breath tests were carried out.