Laois driver makes Garda top ten speeding list on Slow Down day

A driver caught speeding on the old road to Dublin in Laois has made it to the top ten worst cases are in from the National Slow Down Day published by Gardaí.

The motorist got on to the chart early in the 24-hour period and remained there until the Gardaí published the list of fastest drivers after the operation finished on March 1,

The driver was clocked at 113km/h in a 80km/h zone on the R445 at The Heath near Portlaoise in the first 5 hours of National Slow Down Day.

Laois Offaly Gardaí reported being active on roads around the county including in Portarlington conducting speed checks near schools and creches.

During the early part of the day GoSafe checked the speed of 53,951 vehicles and detected 129 vehicles traveling in excess of the applicable speed limit.

Gardaí say the motorist was driving one of a total of 628 cars that were caught speeding on National Slow Down Day, February 28/March 1. Some drivers caught doing twice the speed limit.

Gardaí say that during National Slow Down Day from 7am on Tuesday to 7am on Wednesday, GoSafe checked the speed of 173,811 vehicles.

Gardaí published a list of some of the worst cases:

• 117km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N6 Baile An Phoill Gaillimh Gaillimh
• 92km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the N4 Drishoge Carrick-On-Shannon Roscommon
• 92km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the Monaghan Road Castleblayney Monaghan
• 122km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the N4 Doddsborough Lucan Dublin
• 159km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N25 Ballyadam Carrigtwohill Cork
• 139km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N24 Woodrooff Clonmel Tipperary
• 153km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M6 An Carn Mór Thiar Órán Mór Gaillimh
• 113km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the R445 Greatheath Portlaoise Laois
• 126km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N21 Tooreenmore Knocknagoshel Kerry
• 115km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the R513 Herbertstown Herbertstown Limerick

The guards say they 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.

They say that last year saw fatal and serious injury road traffic collisions increase with 156 people fatally injured, the largest death toll on Irish roads since 2016. Figures published by gardaí show that January 2023 had the highest number of road deaths of any January in 10 years. A total of 20 people died.

Recent Garda enforcement data and RSA research demonstrate that drivers continue to speed. Gardaí say that during 2022, nearly three-quarters of fatal collisions occurred on rural (80km/h or more) roads with just over a quarter happening in towns and cities.

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It has been estimated that nearly a third of fatal collisions are the result of speeding or inappropriate speed.

Mr Sam Waide, CEO, Road Safety Authority, said: "Evidence shows that many drivers are choosing to speed in our towns, villages and on rural roads. The RSA’s Free Speed observational study found that half of all drivers (52%) were observed speeding on urban roads and over a quarter (27%) were speeding on rural roads," he said. 

The concluding message from the gardaí is a plea to drivers that complying with the speed limit will reduce crashes, save lives and cut injuries on our roads.