Gardaí maintain high presence as part of Operation Slow Down

Gardaí are maintaining as high presence around the country tonight as part of the 24-hour Operation Slow Down.

The initiative - which runs until 7am tomorrow morning - is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of inappropriate and excessive speeding.

It follows a month of devastating carnage - with 25 lives lost on Irish roads in June, a worrying increase from recent years.

Chief Superintendent of the Garda Traffic Corps Aidan Reid has said that weekend nights during the summer pose a high-risk of collisions.