GARDAÍ HAVE warned motorists to slow down over the approaching bank holiday weekend as figures show a large increase in speeding detections.
The number of drivers being caught speeding has risen by some 60 per cent since the introduction of privatised speed cameras.
Some 50,000 motorists have been detected speeding and issued with fines and penalty points since the camera system was introduced last November.
The cameras were not fully rolled out until the end of February, resulting in a three-fold increase in the number of fines issued in March when compared to the previous March. Some 26,000 people were detected speeding during March compared with about 8,000 in March 2010.
Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority are concerned at the rising numbers of people being killed and seriously injured on the State’s roads, following a record low last year.
Up to 9am yesterday a total of 61 people were killed in 55 crashes – six deaths and three more crashes than in the corresponding period in 2010.
Cases of motorists driving while intoxicated are continuing to fall and dropped below 1,000 cases each month for the first three months of this year. The total for this year was 2,600 up to March 31st, while the corresponding period last year was 3,215. In 2009 the figure was 3,885.
Gardaí said the new speed cameras had engaged in about 18,000 hours of monitoring. About half of this had been at weekends and at night. The authority said the number of Irish road deaths fell to 212 in 2010, the lowest level on record, down 26 from 2009. The 212 who died consisted of 44 pedestrians, five cyclists, 91 drivers, 55 passengers and 17 bikers.
