Gardaí have issued a road safety warning as temperatures are forecast to plummet to -8 degrees.
Superintendent Liam Geraghty of the Garda Press Office told reporters in Limerick on Tuesday that despite repeated warnings, motorists were continuing to speed, drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and use mobile phones while driving.
More than 13,000 drivers were detected for speeding offences during the Garda road safety campaign that ran from November 29th to January 6th. The highest speed recorded was a motorist travelling at 213km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N7 at Brownsbarn, Co Dublin.
Several motorists were found travelling at more than twice the maximum speed limit in built-up areas with speed limits of 50km/h.
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“These speeds are life-threatening, not just to the drivers and passengers of these vehicles but to other road users, particularly in our lower-speed zones,” Supt Geraghty said.
“It is disrespectful and dangerous for drivers to be carrying out speeds of those levels on our roads, despite all the warnings and public safety messaging that is taking place.”
He said a reduction of 5km/h in drivers’ average speeds would “reduce fatal road traffic collision by 30 per cent”.
“We can make a change in our behaviour on our roads,” Supt Geraghty said.
A total of 939 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant during the Garda campaign.
Supt Geraghty said it was a concern that “drug-related” driving had increased “and accounts for about one-in-three of those arrests”.
During the same period, there were 85 major collisions which resulted in people sustaining serious and life-threatening injuries.
Gardaí said they seized 2,636 vehicles during the road safety campaign, mostly from drivers without insurance and from unaccompanied learner drivers, In addition, 1,311 fixed-charge notices were issued to motorists for using a mobile phone while driving.
Supt Geragthy warned motorists to slow down and not make unnecessary journeys during the cold snap.
“We’ve seen extremely adverse road conditions right across the southwest of the country, particularly in Kerry, Cork, west Limerick, west, and south Tipperary into Kilkenny. It’s very obvious in these areas that there is poor and adverse road conditions,” he said.
“Don’t be complacent on the roads ... into Thursday – even though you may not see snow on the ground, the extreme cold weather is going to make driving conditions extremely hazardous right across the country, with severe risk for black ice, and freezing fog.”
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