Gardaí caught a driver going 134km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M4 Kilmore Enfield in Kildare on Tuesday.
It is part of "Slow Down Day" which runs from 7am this morning on February 28th to 7am on March 1st.
Gardaí said the aim of the day is to remind drivers of the dangers of speeding, to increase compliance with speed limits and act as a deterrent to driving at excessive or inappropriate speed.
The overall objective is to reduce the number of speed related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on our roads.
They said it is important to remind drivers at this time of year, the end of the winter period, when road conditions begin to improve and driver behaviour can change in line with that.
Any increase in speed contributes significantly to the severity of any road traffic collision.
Last year saw fatal and serious injury road traffic collisions increase with 156 people fatally injured, the largest death toll on our roads since 2016.
January of this year had the highest number of Road Traffic Fatalities of any January in 10 years, with 20 fatalities.
Recent Garda enforcement data and RSA research demonstrate that drivers continue to speed. During 2022, 73 per cent of fatal collisions occurred on rural (80km/h or more) roads with 27 per cent on urban roads.
It has been estimated that 30 per cent of fatal collisions are the result of speeding or inappropriate speed.
Speaking about the initiative, chief superintendent Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: "It is important to thank all of those drivers who do the right thing and drive not only within the necessary speed limits, but at speeds that are appropriate to the conditions.
"However, each and every day across the country we continue to detect drivers travelling in excess of the speed limit.
"We know that a reduction in average speed will bring about a reduction in fatal collisions, and therefore reducing motorists’ speed is essential to improving road safety.
"Last year sadly saw an increase in fatalities on our roads, we have a collective responsibility for keeping each other safe on the road and I’d appeal to all road users to think about how their actions can have an impact on the lives of others.
They are asking all drivers to support our National ‘Slow Down’ Day not just on ‘Slow Down Day’ but every day. "If we all slow down a little, we can make a big difference," she said.
In the first five hours of National Slow Down Day, GoSafe checked the speed of 53,951 vehicles and detected 129 vehicles travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.
Examples of high speeds included:
- 117km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N6 Baile An Phoill Gaillimh Gaillimh
- 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
- 126km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N21 Tooreenmore Knocknagoshel Kerry
- 138km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M6 Killavally Tyrrellspass Westmeath
- 113km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the R445 Greatheath Portlaoise Laois
- 84km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the Navan Road Dublin15 Dublin
- 121km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N21 Rineroe Adare Limerick
- 120km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N18 Clonmoney West Bunratty Clare
- 120km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N4 Culleen Beg Mullingar Westmeath
- 113km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N15 Drumnagahan Donegal Donegal
- 134km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M4 Kilmore Enfield Kildare
- 90km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N3 Lisgrea Virginia Cavan
- 92km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M11 Ashwood Lower Gorey Wexford
An Garda Síochána continues 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.
