Speed limit reductions not enough without more enforcement, campaigners say

Road safety campaign group Parc welcomed the new speed limit reductions but said they will only work if more gardaí are assigned to road traffic duty. Picture: PA

Cutting speed limits will fail to tackle a spike in road deaths unless enforcement measures are also introduced, safety campaigners and politicians have warned.

New speed limits, which will see the maximum speed allowed on national secondary roads drop from 100km/h to 80km/h, are to be rolled out in a bid to reduce fatalities and accidents.

Under the speed limits overhaul, Minister of State Jack Chambers is proposing that the default speed limit for the network of local and rural roads throughout the country will also be cut, going from the current 80km/h to 60km/h.

Urban roads, which include built-up areas like housing estates and town centres, will reduce to 30km/h.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) welcomed Mr Chambers’ announcement that he intends to bring a comprehensive review of speed limits to Cabinet shortly.

RSA chief executive Sam Waide said: “We know that speeding is a killer behaviour when it comes to road safety. 

The World Health Organization has estimated that a 5% reduction in average speed could result in a 30% reduction in fatal collisions. 

"Having these discussions and raising awareness of the impact speed has on a person’s likelihood to survive a crash, will help to save more lives."

In RSA research, 64% of motorists admitted to routinely speeding, with a fifth speeding daily and more than half of motorists speeding at least once a week.

Road safety campaign group Parc welcomed the new measures but said reduced speed limits will only work if more traffic gardaí are assigned and other enforcement measures put in place.

Parc founder Susan Gray urged the Government to prioritise the legislation required to introduce the lower speed limits and to increase the number of gardaí on the beat. She said: 

In theory this is a brilliant idea but we fear it won't be implemented for a good few years and we need a solution now for the escalation in road deaths. 

This was echoed by Labour's transport spokesperson Duncan Smyth who said the proposed measures represent a "strong leap" from the Government to improve safety on our roads. However, he said an enforcement plan is required in tandem with any new speed limits.

"We need to see a plan to scale enforcement up, be they human garda resources or technological resources."

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A spokesperson for Mr Chambers said the minister intends to bring the proposals to Government in the coming weeks and he hopes to have the primary legislation to introduce new speed limits completed in the first quarter of 2024.

Sinn Féin transport spokesperson Martin Kenny said: "Road quality and road surface is also an issue. There are particular parts of the country where we have bad bends or we have dangerous junctions and local authorities are looking to get safety measures put in place every year but they don't get the funding required."