On National Slow Down Day, 211 Motorists were Caught Speeding

211 automobiles were caught speeding on National Slow Down Day, with one driver reaching 161km/h in a 120km/h zone.

Gardaí will be out in force on highways across the country beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday as part of a speed-enforcement 'National Slow Down Day,' with the operation lasting 24 hours.

During the 24-hour period of National #SlowDown Day, GoSafe checked the speed of 140,720 vehicles and detected 211 speeding, including:

❗️161km in a 120km/h zone on the M6 in Oranmore ❗️157km in a 100km/h zone on the N25 in Cork ❗️84km in a 50km/h zone on the N61 in Roscommon pic.twitter.com/gaiV99ahwF — An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) April 22, 2023

Slow Down Day's goal is to warn drivers of the hazards of speeding, encourage compliance with speed limits, and serve as a deterrent to driving at excessive or inappropriate speeds.

GoSafe assessed the speed of 140,720 vehicles during the course of 24 hours and found 211 vehicles exceeding the speed limit.

One of the 211 drivers caught speeding going 87km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R267 in Donegal, followed by another who hit 121km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N11 in Wicklow.

On the M6 near An Carn Mór Thiar rán Mór in Galway, a motorist was caught driving at 161km/h in a 120km/h zone.

On the N25 at Ballyadam, Cork, a motorist was caught speeding at 157km/h in a 100km/h zone.

Another driver was caught speeding at 156km/h on the N4 near Carrickmoyragh, Newtownforbes, and Longford.

On Clones Road in Monaghan, one motorist was caught speeding at 85km/h in a 60km/h zone.

On the N2, a second Monaghan driver was caught driving 110km/h in an 80km/h zone.

The overarching goal is to reduce the amount of speed-related collisions on our roadways, preserve lives, and reduce injuries.

This National Slow Down Day is part of a pan-European day of action to decrease road speed.

Garda emphasizes that regardless of how favourable the road and weather conditions are, every increase in speed increases the probability of being involved in a major or deadly road traffic collision.

Why is there National Slow Down Day?

The number of deadly road traffic crashes in Ireland increased last year, with 157 people killed on the roadways.

This is the highest death toll since 2016. So far this year, 52 individuals have died on our roads, up from three on the same day last year.

During the April bank holiday weekend, two young individuals in Galway were killed in a sad collision on our roads.

Two 14-year-olds, Lukas Joyce from Annaghdown and Kirsty Bohan from Headford, died after their automobile collided with a tree.

Two individuals were pronounced dead in February after a deadly collision between a car and a truck in Mayo.

Recent Garda enforcement data and Road Safety Authority study show that drivers are still speeding.

In 2022, 73% of fatal collisions occurred on rural (80km/h or more) roads, while 27% occurred on urban roadways.

It is believed that speeding or driving at an unsuitable speed causes 30% of fatal crashes.