Parents on school runs among worst offenders for speeding

PARENTS taking their children to and from school are among the worst offenders when it comes to speeding, according to a garda survey.

The survey, carried out at a number of locations over the past few months in north and east Cork, show- ed that those on school runs were putting the pedal to the metal too often.

Gardaí using both overt and covert speed traps fed information to analysts who compiled data pinpointing areas of least compliance with speed limits.

Inspector Eoghan Healy, who oversees the traffic corps in the region, said gardaí were using the information to target specific areas at specific times to cut down on speeding and accidents.

The worst section of road monitored was at Creggane, on the (N20) main Cork- Limerick road north of Buttevant, where 91% of drivers were exceeding the 100km/h speed limit.

Up to 83% of drivers were also breaking the limit on the N20 at Newtwopothouse, north of Mallow.

But Inspector Healy pointed out that speeding was also prevalent on rural and urban roads.

In Brigown, Mitchelstown, 73% of drivers were breaking the speed limit, while 72% broke the law in Bridgelands, Rathcormac, both within 30mph limits.

Meanwhile, on the northern side of Fermoy, at Carrignagroghera — which is within the 30mph urban area of the town — up to 79% of drivers were breaking the law and the percentage was exactly the same at Dromina near Charleville, while 77% were over the limit in nearby Liscarroll.

People coming off the motorway and travelling into Glanmire weren’t slowing down either.

Speed cameras at Sallybrook, Glanmire, showed 78% of drivers were breaking the law, especially around school run times. Within the heavily congested town itself this figure dropped, but only to 57%.

In east Cork, 66% of drivers at Rostellan were over the speed limit, as were Ballinacurra, near Midleton (60%), Glounthaune (68%) and Carrigtwohill (70%).

Insp Healy said that people rushing to and from work and those returning from a night out were also guilty of breaking the limits. “This is a not a revenue collecting issue, it’s about reducing accidents and saving lives,” he said.

Chief Supt Kieran McGann, in charge of policing in the region, said he was especially concerned that people coming off motorways were not reducing their speed: “If people are late for work they should simply apologise rather than driving too fast and endangering other people’s lives.”