A NEW speed camera is set to become operational on an Irish road today.
The latest measures are part of a garda initiative aimed at reducing road accidents in Ireland.
Gardai have revealed that a new average speed road safety camera will be launched in Co Meath.
This camera will be placed on the N2 on Slane road between Cullen and Ballymagarvey, and it is set to go live at 12:00pm today.
It will monitor the speed of all vehicles, including cars, trucks and other road users on this busy stretch of road in both directions.
Starting from noon today, any vehicle caught speeding over the 100 km/h speed limit will face prosecution — with a hefty fine for offenders.
If drivers are caught exceeding the speed limit, they will be issued a Fixed Charge Notice on the spot, which comes with a fine and penalty points.
The current Fixed Charge Notice for speeding is €160 and includes three penalty points on the driver’s license.
The average speed cameras work by noting the time a vehicle passes a specific point on the road and then calculating the average speed based on when it reaches the second point.
This system is in place to encourage safer driving, reduce speeding and lower the number of accidents to make the roads safer for everyone.
They also use Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology, which records details like the time, date and location of each vehicle that passes.
Once a vehicle is detected exceeding the speed limit between the two points, the system automatically creates a violation record and sends it to Gardai for enforcement.
If the average speed of a vehicle exceeds the limit between the two points, the driver will receive a €160 fine and three penalty points.
In the case of a court conviction, the penalty could rise to five penalty points and a fine of up to €1,000.
Average speed cameras were first introduced in the Port Tunnel in Dublin back in 2017, but it wasn’t until 2022 that they started appearing on other roads.
Before these cameras were installed over half of the vehicles were caught speeding, with 20 per cent of them going over the limit by more than 10 km/h.
And after they were installed, speeding on the road dropped to just 0.15 per cent.
NEW SPEED LIMITS
This speed operation comes just a few weeks after new speed limits were introduced on hundreds of roads across the country.
Default speed limits on rural local roads decreased from 80 km/h to 60 km/h, while national secondary roads saw limits fall from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
In a recent statement, gardaí warned that breaking the speed limit endangers lives.
A spokesperson said: “Driving in excess of the legal speed limit, and/ or driving at an inappropriate speed for the prevailing road, weather and traffic conditions not only puts you at risk but also endangers the lives of others around you.
“When you speed, it reduces the potential reaction time to react to something unexpected on the road and there is an increase in the likelihood of losing control of your vehicle, which could lead to a serious or fatal accident.”
