National slow down day: Motorist in Cork caught driving 75km/h in 50km/h zone in first hours of operation 

A motorist in Cork was detected travelling 25km above the speed limit this morning during a national Garda road safety operation.

The detection was made by members of An Garda Síochána on the Rochestown Road, where the driver was found to be travelling at a speed of 75km/h in a 50km/h zone.

The 24-hour national speed enforcement operation, supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), will be conducted by An Garda Síochána until 7am tomorrow morning.

In the first two hours of ‘National Slow Down Day’, GoSafe checked the speeds of 9,410 vehicles, and detected 25 vehicles travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit, including the motorist in Cork.

Last year saw a 19% increase in fatal road traffic collisions on the year previous, with 184 people losing their lives in 173 fatal collisions.

This compares to 154 deaths in 149 collisions in 2022.

Up to end of June this year, more than 70,000 fixed charge notices have been issued to drivers driving in excess of the speed limit, equating to more than 375 drivers every day.

An Garda Síochána conducts a number of high profile National Slow Down days every year to remind motorists of the dangers of speeding, to increase overall compliance with speed limits and to deter those that are intent on driving at excessive or inappropriate speeds.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “We continue to appeal to drivers to comply with speed limits in order to reduce the number of speed-related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on our roads.”