National “Slow Down” Day 24th – 25th May 2019

• 24 - hour road safety speed initiative
• Adjust your speed to all the prevailing road, traffic and weather conditions
• Protect your community - Make the choice to abide by every speed limit to make the roads safer for all 

An Garda Síochána will conduct a national speed enforcement operation "Slow Down”, supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and other stakeholders, for a 24 hour period from 07.00hrs on Friday 24th May to 07.00hrs on Saturday 25th May 2019.

The objective is to reduce the number of speed related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on our roads.  The aim of "Slow Down day” is to remind drivers of the dangers of speeding, increase compliance with speed limits and act as a deterrent to driving at excessive or inappropriate speed.

In terms of road safety, 2018 was the lowest on record with 146 road deaths, however it is still 146 road deaths too many. We can never be complacent about road safety. Excessive and inappropriate speed is a major contributory factor in road traffic collisions, further confirmed by the recent RSA report on fatal collisions between 2008 and 2012 which found that excessive speed was a contributory factor in almost one third of all fatal collisions during that time.  The higher the speed, the greater the likelihood is of a collision happening and the more severe the outcome of that collision. As a general rule a 1% reduction in average speed will bring about a 4% reduction in fatal collisions, and this is why reducing motorists’ speed is essential to improving road safety.

Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary, Roads Policing Bureau said:

“National Slow Down day is about making our roads and our communities safer. Excessive or inappropriate speed causes serious injuries and fatalities and is completely unacceptable as it affects every member of the community. The vast majority of drivers drive safely within the speed limits, and it is most welcome, but there still remain those that do not. We will continue to focus on non-compliant drivers who, drive in excess of the speed limit and pose a risk to themselves and other road users. Each time a vehicle speeds excessively or inappropriately, it could result in a serious or fatal collision. Please check your speed and support Slow Down day, not only on the day, but every day.”

Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary continued:

“In the first three months of 2019, there has been a 46% increase in speeding detections compared to the same period in 2018. There is a considerable amount of advance notice via print, broadcast and social media for safety initiatives such as this. There are drivers who see and hear this but still choose to break speed limits. Please don’t be one of the drivers detected speeding on Slow Down day or any other day, and choose to drive safely”

Ms. Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority said:

“Speed is a contributory factor in almost a third of fatal crashes each year, in this country. You may not think that you are driving very fast, when in reality it could be life threatening to vulnerable passengers like children or older persons and especially dangerous to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. It’s worth considering that if you hit a pedestrian at 60km/h only one in ten will survive. Hit at 30km/h and the outcome for the pedestrian is greatly improved as 9 out of ten will survive. That’s why it is so important to have days like today, to remind drivers that they need to slow down, not only for their own sake, but for the safety of their passengers and vulnerable road users. So please, don’t put yourself under pressure to speed, give yourself plenty of time to arrive at your destination by setting out earlier on your journey, and watch out for vulnerable road users.”

The operation will consist of high visibility speed enforcement in speed enforcement zones, which now number over 1,000, as well as the delivery of a road safety message through the use of national, local and social media. 

Government Departments, Local Authorities, Public and private sector fleet operators have been invited to participate in the initiative by circulating employees with the key message to "Slow Down” and, whether driving for business or private purposes, to always drive within the speed limit and at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions. 

Notes:

• As of 22nd May 2019, there have been 58 road fatalities, an increase of two on this date last year.
• From 1st January – 31st March there have been 36,014 speeding detections (+46% on same period in 2018).
• From October 2018 campaign, GoSafe checked the speed of 164,032 vehicles with 276 detected travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.
• From May 2018 campaign, GoSafe checked the speed of 132,188 vehicles with 211 detected travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.
• From October 2017 campaign, GoSafe checked the speed of 176,521 vehicles with 322 detected travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.

Highest speed per speed band from Gosafe safety cameras, January – April 2019:

All speed enforcement zone locations are available on the Garda website. The penalty for speeding is 3 penalty points and an €80 euro fine if paid within 28 days.

Safety Cameras

Since Monday, the 15th November 2010, new Garda mobile safety cameras are in use across Irish roads.

Excessive or inappropriate speeding is a major factor in road traffic collisions. Safety cameras will be on the roads all across Ireland where fatal or injury collisions are happening as a result of inappropriate speed. 

GoSafe provide a minimum of 7,400 enforcement hours and a maximum of 100 survey hours per month across the country. For the 7,400 enforcement hours, the cameras will operate from vans which are marked with high visibility reflective material and display a safety camera symbol. Images of the vans are available on the Garda website.

The survey hours will be conducted from unmarked vans, in order to accurately observe and record the speeds at which vehicles are currently travelling, for survey purposes only.

Gardaí use a range of speed detection technology to reduce speed across Irish roads. A reduction in speed will lead to a reduction in the incidence of fatal and serious injuries and will improve road safety for all road-users.

We are working closely with a range of partner agencies, including Government Departments, the Road Safety Authority, the National Roads Authority, and the community, in order to develop a national culture of safe road use.

There are over 1,000 sections of road identified as speed enforcement zones effective from the 27th May 2016.

Ongoing surveys will be conducted to ensure that these sections of roads continue to represent locations where speeding is happening.

These sections of the road network will be where An Garda Síochána will be primarily focussing our enforcement. We will use a range of equipment such as:

•    Handheld and tripod mounted laser guns;
•    Vehicle mounted Puma speed detection equipment, (both marked and unmarked vehicles);
•    Van mounted Go-Safe safety cameras (civilian operated).