Gardaí catch motorist doing 164km/h in 120km/h zone during National Slow Down Day

An Garda Síochána will conduct a 24-hour national speed enforcement operation, supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and other key stakeholders. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

An Garda Síochána has detected 800 speeding offences over the past 24 hours, as part of National Slow Down Day — a nationwide speed enforcement operation.

The most significant speeding offence recorded was 164km/h in a 120km/h zone according to gardaí. 

"Speeding remains one of the leading causes of road traffic collisions. It is a significant contributor to the amount of collisions that result in fatal and serious injuries each year," a garda spokesperson said. 

An Garda Síochána carried out a 24-hour national speed enforcement operation, supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and other key stakeholders.

So far in 2025, there have been 24 fatalities resulting from 23 fatal road traffic collisions across the country.

However, gardaí say there were no fatalities reported as a result of road traffic collisions during the speed enforcement operation. 

Other notable detections between midnight on Wednesday and 23.59pm include: 

• 148km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N3, Lisgrea, Virginia, Co. Cavan 
• 134km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N52, Durrow Demesne, Tullamore, Co. Offaly 
• 131km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N11, Timmore, Newcastle, Co. Wicklow 
• 93km/h in an 80km/h Zone on the R148, Ballynadrumny, Broadford, Co. Kildare 
• 90km/h in an 80km/h Zone on the R188, Drumnagran, Cootehill, Co. Cavan 
• 75km/h in a 60km/h Zone on Monaghan Road, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan 
• 73km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R293, Toobrackan, Ballaghadereen, Co. Roscommon 
• 69km/h in a 50km/h Zone on Clare Street, Limerick, Co. Limerick
• 69km/h in a 50km/h Zone on Cusack Road, Ennis, Co. Clare 

Wednesday's National Slowdown Day was the first since the Government introduced a new default 60km/h speed limit on many rural local roads. This replaced the previous default of 80km/h.

A number of Slow Down Days are held each year, aiming to curb excessive speeds and promote safer driving habits.

“The aim of National #SlowDown Days is to remind motorists of the dangers of speeding, encourage a national conversation on the impact of speeding, to increase overall compliance with speed limits in place nationwide and to deter and detect those that are intent on driving at excessive or inappropriate speed,” said a Garda spokesperson.

During the last Slow Down Day in December 2024, over 600 drivers were caught speeding, including one motorist detected driving 136km/h in a 100km/h zone in Co Limerick.

In 2024, Gardaí issued over 145,000 fixed charge notices for speeding violations, equating to nearly 400 detections every day.

“Driving in excess of the legal speed limit, and/ or driving at an inappropriate speed for the prevailing road, weather and traffic conditions not only puts you at risk but also endangers the lives of others around you," the spokesperson said.

"When you speed, it reduces the potential reaction time to react to something unexpected on the road and there is an increase in the likelihood of losing control of your vehicle, which could lead to a serious or fatal accident.

“The consequences of speeding can be devastating, not only for yourself but for other innocent people on the road. The higher the speed the greater the impact if you have a road traffic collision,” they added.