National "Slow Down” Day 19th – 20th October 2018

• 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 19th October to 07.00hrs on Saturday 20th October 2018.

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, 2017 was the lowest on record with 157 road deaths, however it is still 157 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 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 Finbarr Murphy, Roads Policing Bureau said:

"National Slow Down day is about making our roads and our communities safer. When someone decides to speed they put members of their community at risk, including children, older people, cyclists and other motorists. Nobody has the right to do that. We have been running the "Slow Down” safety initiative since 2012 and every time the vast majority of drivers support it by sticking to the speed limit so firstly, I would like to thank all drivers who help us keep the roads safe. Unfortunately, there are still hundreds who do not, and travel in excess of the speed limit – some significantly so. We cannot emphasise enough how much risk this is causing to themselves and others. Each one of these speeding incidents could potentially cause a serious or even fatal road traffic collision. Please do the right thing and stick to all posted speed limits, not just on Slow Down day, but every day and if conditions dictate, reduce speed even further”

Chief Superintendent Murphy continued:

"There is a massive 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 choose not to drive safely. Please don’t be one of the drivers detected speeding on Slow Down day or any other day, and choose to keep yourself and others safe on the road”

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

 "I would urge all drivers to show their support for National ‘Slow Down’ Day and every day by easing off on the accelerator. Inappropriate speed is a factor in a third of fatal crashes each year and those most at risk from speeding are vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. Initiatives such as this are very important as we head into the winter months, when the weather deteriorates and roads are more likely to be wet. This means increased stopping distances when braking, so slow down and leave a greater distance between you and the vehicle in front. It’s also vital that your tyres are roadworthy. Remember brakes stop your wheels, but it’s your tyres that stop your car. The Gardaí and the RSA have gone to great lengths to tell people about this safety drive and that’s because it’s about stopping people from speeding not catching people speeding. I appeal to all drivers to slow down and save lives on National ‘Slow Down’ Day.”

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

Images of Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy, Roads Policing Bureau and Ms. Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority are available on the Garda Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/yb38tkb9

• As of 15th October 2018, there have been 117 road fatalities, a reduction of three on this date last year.
• From 1st January – 31st August there have been 85,457 speeding detections.
• 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.
• From May 2017 campaign, GoSafe checked the speed of 134,739 vehicles with 226 detected travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.

Recent Garda social media posts of speeding detections:

Highest speed per speed band from Gosafe safety cameras – Slow Down, May 2018:

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).