A motorist was caught by Gardai at 260% over the speed limit — 130km/h in 50km/h zone — on the R463 Corbally Road in Limerick City, while another was detected at 128km/h in a 60km/h zone on the Stillorgan Road in Dublin.
The news comes as 104 people have been killed on Irish roads so-far this year, which Gardai say is 12 more than the same time last year. There is now the fear that road deaths this year will be the highest in the last 7 years or possibly more.
The speeding examples were given by the Garda Press Office this evening after the bank holiday weekend as “Notable top speeds detected in each speed zone include”. Other examples given include 147km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R178 Redbog in Co Louth; 166km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N26 Ballynahaglish outside Ballina in Co Mayo, and 203km/h in a 120km/h zone on the M8 Ballinaglanna North in Co Cork.
According to the Garda Press Office, the Garda Roads Policing Units issued over 1,143 on-the-spot Fixed Charge Penalty Notices for speeding offences, while Go-Safe issued 2,841 fines for speeding.
Gardai also carried out 4,006 tests for drunk and drug driving at 900 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints which lead to196 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
Officers also issued 209 fines to drivers caught holding their phones, 134 unaccompanied learner drivers with 77 vehicles seized for the same offence, 91 fines for no seatbelts, and 146 vehicles seized for being uninsured.
Nine days ago on August 1, a press release warned that: “The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána have issued a stark warning that years of road safety progress is being undone as new figures reveal that road deaths in the first half of 2023 are the worst for six years”
At the time there were 95 people killed on our roads which was an increase of 9 compared to last year. But today with 104 people have been killed, which is 12 more than last year, the Garda Press Office highlighted how there was a 58% reduction in serious injury road traffic collisions in comparison to the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2022.
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, Roads Policing and Community Engagement Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: “We had a huge amount of positive support from motorists and we want to acknowledge this because this helps us and our partners to avoid a higher number of fatal and serious injury road traffic collisions.”
She added: “All those who suffer the loss of a loved one on our roads are in our thoughts. We continue to do all we can to raise awareness among all road users that we must work together to keep our roads safe.”
These shocking speed limit exceedence data reflect the real threat to bike users and pedestrians ‘sharing’ our roads with these law-breakers.
Our experience as bike users leads us to keep keep saying that too many drivers are speeding way beyond what road and traffic conditions would dictate as ‘safe’. The covert free-speed data from RSA gives credence to this too.
Government and the safety agencies are just not at these races.