900 drivers caught speeding on National Slow Down Day – Doherty

The fact that 900 drivers were caught speeding on Irish roads on National Slow Down Day is clear evidence that average speed cameras need to be rolled out across the country, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Regina Doherty, Fine Gael’s Transport Spokesperson and European Election candidate, said: “It’s clear that lack of enforcement has played a part in people’s behaviour. 900 drivers were caught speeding on our roads yesterday, which happened to be National Slow Down Day. That’s not acceptable, and we need to do something about it.

“It’s high time we implemented the technology available to us, where it can be best utilised. Average speed cameras work by recording your speed at two different points along a particular stretch of road. They have been deployed in Ireland before, along the M7 for example, but they need to be rolled out across the country.

“When average speed cameras were installed on a trial basis back in 2022, between Nenagh and Birdhill, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) analysed speed data on the M7 corridor and concluded that some 40% of drivers were exceeding the 120km/h speed limit on the motorway. There has been a delay in expanding the use of the cameras since then; I’m not sure why.

“A nationwide rollout of average speed cameras would require investment, of course, but it’s worth every cent when we consider the devastating numbers of road deaths in Ireland. It’s long passed the time we spent the money, in order to save lives. This is something that Liz O’Donnell of the Road Safety Authority has long been calling for, and we should make it a priority”, concluded Senator Doherty.