Gardaí Urge Drivers to Ease off the Accelerator Ahead of National Slow Down Day
Gardaí launch National Slow Down Day tomorrow as nearly 5,400 drivers caught speeding in past week.
Motorists across Ireland are being reminded to check their speed as An Garda Síochána prepares for a 24-hour nationwide enforcement operation tomorrow, with nearly 5,400 speeding offences detected in the past week alone.
National Slow Down Day will run from 12:01am to 11:59pm on Tuesday, 23 December 2025, coinciding with increased road use as families travel for Christmas.
The operation, conducted in partnership with the Road Safety Authority and GoSafe, aims to promote safer driving and reduce speed-related collisions during one of the busiest periods on Irish roads.
During Week 3 of the Garda Christmas Road Safety Campaign (15 to 21 December), officers and safety camera vans detected alarming speeds across the country. The highest recorded was 192km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N25 in Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford, nearly double the legal limit.
Other notable detections included 144km/h in an 80km/h zone in Fahan, Co. Donegal, and 122km/h in a 60km/h zone on the N15 in Oola, Co. Limerick.
Gardaí stressed that excessive speed reduces a driver's ability to respond to unexpected hazards and significantly increases the severity of any collision.
The initiative forms part of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021 to 2030, which takes a multi-agency approach to reducing deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads.
