Gardaí get tough on speed

Picture 6GARDAI in Killarney are playing an active part in a nationwide 24-hour campaign to crackdown on irresponsible drivers exceeding speed limits.

They have teamed up with the Road Safety Authority to launch Operation Slowdown which commenced at 7.00am this Friday and will run right through until Saturday morning.

The intensive speed enforcement operation is designed to reduce the number of collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on the roads.

The aim is to get drivers to slow down by reminding them of the dangers of speeding, increasing compliance with speed limits and acting as a deterrent to driving at excessive and inappropriate speeds.

Last year saw another increase in road deaths, resulting in 195 fatalities and excessive speed was a major contributory factor.

The operation consists of garda high-visibility speed enforcement activities on primary and secondary roads. All available technologies will be utilised, including laser hand-held speed detection devices, camera vans and in-car speed detection systems.

A recent analysis of speeding offences revealed:

  • 90% of detections were more than 10km/h over the speed limit
  • 10% of detections were made between 1-9 km/h above the posted speed limit
  • 50km/h zones were worst for speeding offences
  • 108,971 speeding fixed charge notices were issued up to the end of June