Half of all speeding offences take place within towns and cities

Town and city speed limit zones are the worst for speeding offences, new figures show.

According to gardaí, nearly half of all speeding offences take place within 50km/hr zones - the limit which replaced the old 30m/hr speed limit in towns and villages.

In the first six months of this year, 50,000 notices were issued imposing fines and penalty points for speeding offences in 50km/hr zones.

The figures were released as gardaí prepare for a 24-hour speeding detection campaign as part of “National Slow Down day” which starts on Friday.

From 7am on August 28th, to 7am on Saturday, August 29th, gardaí will operate an intensive speed enforcement operation aimed at reducing speed-related crashes.

What are described as “high visibility enforcement activities” will be deployed on both national primary and secondary roads.

Gardaí will use a range of technologies including laser hand-held speed detection devices, safety camera vans and in-car speed detection systems to reinforce the message: “If you speed this weekend we will catch you”.

They said privatised GoSafe vehicles will also be working in areas where serious and fatal injury crashes have occurred.

The 727 speed enforcement zones to be targetted are available on the Garda website.

According to the Road Safety Authority, excessive or inappropriate speed is a major contributory factor to road traffic collisions with a direct correlation between higher speeds and more severe injuries.

As a general rule, a 1 per cent reduction in average speed brings about a 2 per cent reduction in minor injury collisions, a 3 per cent reduction in serious injury collisions and a 4 per cent reduction in fatal collisions, according to safety authorities.

This year an effort is being made to involve fleet operators, who have been asked to reinforce the road safety message among employees. Whether driving for business or private purposes, drivers will be reminded to “always drive within the speed limit and at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions”.

The Garda website and social media will be actively used to promote the initiative.

Speaking in advance of the initiative Superintendent Con O’ Donohue, of the Garda National Traffic Bureau, revealed details of a recent Garda analysis of speeding.

The analysis found:

-90 per cent of detections were more than 10km/hr over the speed limit.

- 10 per cent of detections were made for speeds from 1-9km/hr above the posted speed limit

- 79 per cent were made from 10-29 km/hr above the posted speed limit

- 11 per cent of detections were for speeds in excess of 30 km/hr above the limit

- 50km/hr zones worst for speeding offences, nearly half of all speeding offences were detected in this zone.

To date this year 106 people have been killed on Irish roads, 21 fewer than this date in 2014.

Some 109,000 speeding fixed charge notices were issued between January and June 2015.