IRELAND: 26 February 24-hours National Slowdown Day

The Gardaí have announced that they will impose 24-hour speed restrictions on February 26, National Slowdown Day. 

A 24-hour speeding warning has been issued. More than 1,000 speed control zones will be set up nationwide to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding and promote safe driving.

It's best to be extra careful on the roads as the Gardaí will be out in full force this week. A 24-hour speed control operation has been announced for Wednesday, February 26.

Last year, Gardaí issued more than 145,000 fixed charge notices to drivers caught speeding, which is around 400 detections every day.

A Garda spokesperson said: "National #SlowDownDay will be held on Wednesday 26th February 2025, with the support of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and other partners.

The Gardaí organise a number of National #SlowDownDays each year. The aim of National #SlowDownDays is to remind motorists of the dangers of speeding, to promote a national debate on the impact of speeding, to increase compliance with existing speed limits nationwide, and to deter and detect those who intend to drive at excessive or inappropriate speeds.

"Exceeding the legal speed limit, and/or driving at a speed that is not appropriate for the prevailing road, weather, and traffic conditions not only puts you at risk, but also puts the lives of others around you at risk. When you drive fast, you reduce your ability to react when something unexpected happens on the road and increase your risk of losing control of your vehicle, which could lead to a serious or fatal accident."

The consequences of speeding can be devastating, not only for you, but also for other innocent people on the road. The higher the speed, the greater the impact in the event of a road traffic collision."

• At 30 km/h, one in ten pedestrians will die if hit by a car.
• At a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, 5 out of 10 people will die.
• At a speed of 60 km/h, 9 out of 10 people will die

Gardaí and their road safety partners GoSafe will be carrying out major speed checks as part of National Slowdown Day. It is hoped that this will help to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, encourage compliance with speed limits and deter excessive or inappropriate speeding.

locations on the Garda website here