‘Slow Down!’ National speed enforcement operation tomorrow

National Slow Down Day: 7am on Monday September 2 to 7am on Tuesday September 3

An Garda Síochána are conducting a 24-hour national speed enforcement operation, ‘Slow Down’ supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and other stakeholders tomorrow, Monday 2 September.

Gardaí conduct a number of high profile National Slow Down days every year, to remind motorists of the dangers of speeding, to increase overall compliance with speed limits and to deter those that are intent on driving at excessive or inappropriate speed.

A garda spokesperson said; “As summer draws to a close, seasonal weather changes creep in and we look to shorter, darker evenings ahead – driving conditions will become more challenging.

“With the return of schools, additional traffic is on the roads, in particular younger vulnerable road users, pedestrians, cyclists and school buses dropping and collecting school children.”

Last year, 184 people lost their lives in 173 fatal collisions. That compares to 154 deaths in 149 collisions in 2022 – a 19% increase.

Up to end of June 2024, more than 70,000 fixed charge notices were issued to drivers driving in excess of the speed limit – more than 375 drivers every day (Garda and GoSafe detections)

“Speeding puts you at risk and endangers the lives of others around you. Every time you speed, there is an increase in the likelihood of losing control of your vehicle, which could lead to a serious or fatal accident.

“The consequences of speeding can be devastating, not only for yourself but for other innocent people on the road.”

Consequences

The faster the speed, the more severe the impact, the deadlier the consequences.

Inappropriate speed (for prevailing weather/traffic/road conditions) is a problem as much as exceeding the speed limit.

Pedestrians hit by car:

At 30kmh – 1 in 10 will die

At 50kmh – 5 in 10 will die

At 60kmh – 9 in 10 will die

An Garda Síochána remains committed to improving road safety on our roads. An Garda Síochána alone will not stop all fatal road traffic collisions.

National Slow Down Day is supported by and supports the Road Safety Authorities campaigns such as:

Speed Fallacy (rsa.ie)

Male drivers (rsa.ie)

Anti-speeding campaign by the Road Safety Authority (RSA)

Time to Talk (rsa.ie)

Lose Your Licence, Lose Your Independence (rsa.ie)