Gardaí Launch 24-Hour Speed Enforcement Operation as Schools Return

Nationwide National Slow Down Day operation begins at midnight tonight, coinciding with the first full week of pupils returning to classrooms across Cork and Ireland.

An Garda Síochána will carry out a 24-hour nationwide speed enforcement operation throughout Monday, 1st September 2025, as part of National Slow Down Day, with heightened vigilance on Cork's roads as thousands of children return to school.

The operation, running from midnight tonight until 11:59pm tomorrow, is being conducted in partnership with the Road Safety Authority and other stakeholders to promote safer driving and reduce speed-related collisions across the country.

The timing is particularly significant as it coincides with the first full week of schools reopening across Cork and Ireland, when roads become notably busier with school runs, buses, and young pedestrians making their way to and from school gates.

National Slow Down Day forms part of several high-profile speed enforcement operations conducted by An Garda Síochána throughout the year. These initiatives aim to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding and remind motorists of the serious risks associated with excessive or inappropriate speed.

Driving above the legal speed limit, or at speeds unsuitable for current road, weather, or traffic conditions, endangers not only the driver but all road users. Excessive speed reduces a driver's ability to respond to unexpected hazards and increases the likelihood of losing control, potentially resulting in serious or fatal collisions.

The severity of any collision increases dramatically with speed; the faster a vehicle travels, the more devastating the impact becomes in the event of a crash, with potentially life-changing consequences for innocent road users.

This operation supports the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which takes a strategic, coordinated, and multi-sectoral approach to road safety. The strategy involves approximately 180 measures for delivery across areas including education, technology, information sharing, legislation, roads infrastructure, and enforcement.

The initiative is supported by several Road Safety Authority campaigns, including their Speed Fallacy and anti-speeding campaigns targeting male drivers, who statistically account for a higher proportion of speed-related incidents.

Gardaí will provide updates throughout the course of Monday's operation, with speed detection units deployed across major routes including the N40, M8, and other key roads throughout Cork city and county.

Motorists are reminded that speed limits are set for ideal conditions and that they should adjust their speed according to weather, traffic, and road conditions, particularly in residential areas and near schools where children may be present.