GARDAÍ DETECTED A total of 630 drivers going over the speed limit yesterday during National Slow Down Day.

Of those detections, 281 drivers were intercepted by gardaí.

The Slow Down Day operation, which increases the number of gardaí policing roads for a short period of time, began at 7am on Friday morning and ended at 7am today.

Some notable examples of speeding include a motorist who was clocked doing 73km/h in a 50km/h zone on Pontoon Road, Castlebar, Co Mayo.

In Galway, a vehicle was caught doing 108km/h in a 80km/h zone on the N6, Baile An Phoill.

Meanwhile in Cookstown, Dublin 24, a driver was going 82km/h in a 60km/h zone on the R838.

In Co Limerick, gardaí clocked a driver doing 136km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N18 Ballinacurra Weston.

Gradaí said that while this is a welcome reduction on detection rates during previous National Slow Down Days it will continue to ask that drivers are mindful of the need to slow down especially over the busy Christmas period.

Speeding is considered one of the most dangerous driving practices because the faster the speed the more severe the impact and the deadlier the consequences.

Statistically, one in ten pedestrians hit by car travelling at 30km/h will die of their injuries.

Five in ten of those out walking and struck by a car travelling at 50km/h will be killed, while there is a 90% chance of a collision with a pedestrian being fatal when the car is driven at 60km/h.