An Garda Síochána has urged drivers to drive carefully as 125 vehicles have been detected speeding so far today (Wednesday, April 9) on National Slow Down Day.

The aim of National Slow Down Day is to remind motorists of the dangers of speeding, encourage a national conversation on the impact of speeding, to increase overall compliance with speed limits in place nationwide, and to deter and detect.

Some examples of high speeds detected today by members of An Garda Síochána, along with GoSafe Mobile and static safety cameras, include the following:

Newcastle, Co. Wicklow: 144km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N11;
Ashbourne, Co. Meath: 84km/h in a 60km/h zone;
Portlaoise, Co. Laois: 110km/h in a 80km/h zone on the R445;
Co. Galway: 141km/h in 100km/h zone on the N67;
Nenagh, Co. Tipperary: 153km/h in 120km/h zone on the M7.

As spring arrives and there are longer period of daylight, gardaí expects an increase in vulnerable road users, pedestrians and cyclists with more people out and about.

Chief superintendent in the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, Jane Humphries said: "National Slow Down Day is not about catching motorists speeding, in fact we would much prefer to not detect anyone breaking the speed limit.

"Our 24-hour targeted initiative is aimed at getting people to talk about their driving behaviour. To be more mindful of it and the risks that they may take when behind the wheel."

Already this year, more than 32,880 fixed charge notices have been issued to motorists for speeding - that’s over 335 people every day.

Garda statistics show that one in ten pedestrians hit by a car travelling at 30km/h will die of their injuries.

Five in ten of those out walking and struck by a car travelling 50km/h will be killed, and a car being driven at 60km/h that hits a pedestrian has a nine in ten chance of the collision being fatal.