A 24-hour road safety speed initiative is in force this morning.
A national speed enforcement, conducted by the Gardaí and the RSA, is in force since 7am today.
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.
2017 was the lowest on record with 157 road deaths, however it is still 157 road deaths too many.
Reminder from Gardaí & @RSAIreland: National “Slow Down” Day 19th – 20th October 2018 #SpeedKills Highest speeds detected on Saturday 13th October 2018: https://t.co/Hn0xNSvO3l pic.twitter.com/MQdJAPJkRt
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) October 16, 2018
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”
"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”, he added.
DMR Roads Policing Unit stop this vehicle on N4 Chapelizod by pass, 138km in an 80km zone. FCPN issued #Arrivealive #Slowdown pic.twitter.com/vEN94ZpuGB
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) October 11, 2018
Cover image via @GardaTraffic
