Motor society hopes metric signs will boost driver behaviour

The introduction of new metric signs and speed limits will improve driver behaviour, it was claimed today.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said more drivers would be conscious of sticking to the new limits, which range from 30kph (18mph) in high-risk locations to 120kph (nearly 75mph) on motorways.

“It will refocus people’s minds on the speed limits. We certainly saw when penalty points came in and were being properly enforced, people did slow down and deaths on the roads decreased,” said SIMI chief executive Cyril McHugh.

The €10m changeover from mph to kph is to be completed by January 20, 2005. Around 23,000 new road signs will be erected and another 35,000 existing signs will be replaced.

It is being co-ordinated by the Metrication Changeover Board, which has representatives from the local authorities, the Gardaí, the National Roads Authority, the National Safety Council and even the Department of Psychology in Trinity College Dublin.

The €2m advertising campaign, which includes providing information leaflets for every home, was delayed until the end of December (2004) to avoid clashing with Christmas advertising.

Mr McHugh said he believed the changeover would be an "instant success".

“It’s not as big a changeover as the euro because you’re talking about becoming familiar with three speed limits. It’s not having to learn a whole new way of doing things,” he said.

Most cars already have dual speedometers, while every new car sold this year will have a kilometre-only speedometer.

There will be a new speed limit for non-national roads – 80kph (50mph) – which is a drop of 10mph.

The speed limit for motorways is being increased by around 5mph to 120kph (nearly 75mph). Local authorities will have the option of introducing a new 30kph (18mph) speed limit outside schools and other high risk areas.

However, the SIMI criticised the failure of local authorities to eliminate ’ridiculous’ speed limits on modern roads.

It submitted a list of 40 such speed limit signs to the Government, which were mainly located in the Greater Dublin area.

“I think there was one change made. I was very disappointed with the response to that,” said Mr McHugh.

He added that inappropriate speed limits brought the rest of the system into disrepute.

“The local authorities and the National Roads Authority have a job to do in making sure there are no unrealistically low speed limits on roads that are capable of taking a better speed.”