Garda initiative clocks 191 of over 85,400 motorists speeding

Gardaí detected a total of 191 road users travelling in excess of the speed limit during national “slow down day” on Friday.

A total of 85,434 vehicles were checked by gardaí and Go Safe, of which 191 were driving too fast. The highest speed recorded by gardaí was 139km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the N5 at Drummindoo in Westport, Co Mayo.

In a statement, the Garda said it wanted to thank the 85,243 vehicles who complied with speed limits.

“We would encourage all drivers to comply with and respect speed limits and drive safely,” it added.

The initiative, which saw gardaí set up checkpoints at 1,031 speed enforcement zones across the Republic, came after a “significant increase” in the number of road deaths recorded so far this year over last, with the total up by 22.

Gardaí say 148 people have been killed on the roads this year, including 67 drivers, 35 passengers, 22 pedestrians, 15 motorcyclists and nine cyclists.

High and inappropriate speeds were a major factor in the collisions, gardaí said.

Chief Supt Aidan Reid, of the Garda National Traffic Bureau, said the higher the speed the greater the injury in the event of a crash.

“Excessive or inappropriate speed is a major contributory factor in road crashes. This is not just a catch phrase, this is a stark fact, proven by the analysis of 4 years of fatal collision reports.”

A recent Road Safety Authority (RSA) report showed excessive speed was a contributing factor in one third of fatal crashes from 2008-2012.

Statistics from a 2015 report carried out by the RSA showed 60 per cent of car drivers broke the speed limit on urban roads and 22 per cent on rural roads.