Cork speed vans collect almost €2.9m in fines

Cork Garda speed vans collected almost €2.9m in fines over a 30-month period, according to figures released under a Freedom of Information Act request made by Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú.

The figures obtained by Ms Ní Mhurchú show Cork Garda speed vans collected a total of €2,893,200 in fines over the period from January 1, 2023, to June 8, 2025.

Dublin and Tipperary were the two highest-grossing counties for the speed vans, with Cork and Kildare following closely behind.

The figures also show the Togher district collected the most fines in Cork for the same period, at €702,800. This was followed by Mayfield with €513,200, and Bandon with €466,160.

Nationally, the figures show €32.4m was collected in fines from Garda speed vans during the same period.

Reacting to the figures, Ms Ní Mhurchú has called for a ‘get tough’ approach to those who are caught doing excessive speeds on Irish roads. She has also called for a greater concentration of speed vans at accident blackspots and on rural roads, where speeding is dramatically impacting road safety.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said: “A European Commission report from 2020 estimated that 10% to 15% of all crashes, and 30% of all fatal crashes, are the direct result of speeding or inappropriate speed.”

She noted that 174 people died on Irish roads last year, and 52 of those died as a direct result of speeding, at 30%.

She said: 

“There are 52 families across the country mourning loved ones because we have failed to tackle speeding in any meaningful way.”

Ms Ní Mhurchú welcomed that an extra €9m in funding was announced for up to 100 new speed cameras to enhance road safety at the end of 2024.

However, she said continual investment in new technology is needed to catch those who are flouting the law.