1-in-212 drivers speeding on ‘slowdown’ day

More than 66,000 motorists had their speed checked by gardaí in under 10 hours as Operation Slowdown delivered on its promise of an intensive nationwide scrutiny of driving habits.

And while the good news is that relatively few motorists — 311, or one in every 212 — was detected speeding, the worrying news is some of them were driving massively in excess of the limit on country roads.

One motorist was clocked in Bundoran, Co Donegal, driving at 108km/h in a 60km/h zone — close to double the permitted speed on the regional road between Ballyshannon and Sligo.

Another hit 123km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R371 from Rooskey to Lanesborough in Co Roscommon and another was detected at Ballyonan in Co Louth doing 119km/h in an 80 km/h zone on the R173 around the Cooley peninsula.

The best way to avoid seeing this in your rear view mirror is to slow down . Speed Kills #ThumbsUp pic.twitter.com/goZX8QznFN

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 28, 2015

But there were offenders on the bigger roads too and one early speeder was clocked doing 124km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N5 near Castlebar.

The greatest number of speeders were detected in the more built-up areas, however, where the 50km/h limit mainly applies, and that remains a major concern to gardaí, particularly as the return to schools and colleges begins, bringing more pedestrians and cyclists onto the roads.

Speed check on R371 80km zone. Driver detected at below speed,court date to follow. Thumbs down :( pic.twitter.com/w8HYwdR7E0

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 28, 2015

According to the Garda Road Traffic Bureau, driving even a few kilometres over the limit can disproportionately increase the likelihood of a collision and the damage caused by it.

Traffic Bureau head, Superintendent Con O’Donohue, said: “As a general rule, a 1% reduction in average speed will bring about a 2% reduction in minor injury collisions, a 3% reduction in serious injury collisions and a 4% reduction in fatal collisions. This is why reducing motorists’ speed is essential to improving road safety.”

Road accidents have claimed 116 lives to date this year and while the number is lower than at the same time last year, the total number of fatalities for 2014 was disappointing, rising to 194 after three years of falling figures.

Thanks to the Garda Air Support Unit for giving National SlowDownDay the #Thumbsup pic.twitter.com/gOznCtG3y8

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 28, 2015

“Although fewer people have lost their lives on our roads this year compared to last year, we can never afford to be complacent and say the job is done. A significant number of people still drive too fast at times,” Supt O’Donohue said.

Speed checks are conducted on a 24-hour basis as a normal part of Garda duties and the results are evident in the 108,971 fixed- charge notices issued in the first six months of the year.

But the 24-hour Slow Down Day initiative, which ended at 7am this morning, allocated extra resources to the effort, utilising all available handheld laser speed detection devices, Garda camera vans, in-car detection systems and privately contracted Go Safe vans.

Thumbs up for National Slow Down Day from Pearse Street Traffic Unit #ThumbsUp Speed kills pic.twitter.com/RCuo0oGJum

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 28, 2015

Supt O’Donohue said the aim was a high-visibility campaign which was not just about detecting speeders but about making motorists think about their driving habits and encouraging them to slow down at all times.