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A HEADS UP for motorists and other road users – changes to the speed limit on Irish roads are set to come into effect this month.
The move, aimed at improving road safety, will see speed limits reduced by 20km/h on many roads across the country.
The reductions are part of a government strategy that aims to bring down the number of fatalities and injuries caused by traffic collisions.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of the change.
Default speed limits on rural local roads will decrease from 80km/h to 60km/h.
Local roads are public roads numbered with four- or five-digit route numbers, prefixed by “L” – such as the L4102 near Athenry, Co Galway or the L3020 at Blachardstown Shopping Centre in north Dublin.
There are an estimated 81,300km of local roads across Ireland – though not all local roads will be impacted by the speed reductions.
The change will mainly occur on the majority of ‘rural’ local roads – slimmer roads in less-densely populated areas of the country, such as the L8282 in Co Wicklow pictured below.
The new 60km/h speed limit is also expected to also be rolled out across a small number of busier local roads near towns and villages.
Local councils were given the final say on the implementation of the speed limit reduction, and as such, a significant number of local roads across the country will not be impacted by the change.
New speed limit signs will be installed to replace existing ones to reflect the change, the Department of Transport has said.
Later in 2025, the speed limit in some urban locations called “urban cores”, which include built-up areas, housing estates and town centres, will go down to 30km/h.
Examples of “urban core” roads include the R445 through Naas town centre, or the R132 through Drogheda.
The speed limit on national secondary roads will also reduce later this year from 100km/h to 80km/h – roads designated by the letter N and a number greater than 50 (such as the N62 in Athlone, Co Westmeath or the N86 between Tralee and Dingle in Co Kerry).
The change to rural local road speed limits will come into effect on 7 February.
While there are more reductions promised for later this year, the Department has not specified exactly when these will be in place.
As is the case on any Irish road, it is an offence to drive over the new speed limits.
If you are caught driving over the speed limit, you will get 3 penalty points and a fixed charge fine of €160.
If you do not pay the fine within 28 days, it increases to €240, and if this increased fine is not paid, you will be summonsed to court.
If convicted, you could be fined up to €1000 and receive up to 5 penalty points.
You can avoid going to court by paying €320 (twice the sum of the original fine) no later than 7 days before the court date specified in the summons.
There has been a concerning increase in the number of road deaths in recent years.
Almost three in four road deaths (73%) in Ireland over the last five years (2020-2024) occurred on a rural road with a speed limit of 80km/h or greater. Almost half (47%) of all serious injuries occurred on these roads.
Between 2006 and 2021 fatalities on Irish roads fell from 365 to 132, which was the safest year on record, but the number has risen since then.
174 people died on Irish roads last year, with the overall rising trend in prompting concerns in government that road safety targets may not be met.
The Department of Transport conducted a review of speed limits in September 2023, which was part of the last Programme for Government.
Based on modelling and research on international practice, the review produced a recommendation to lower speed limits on urban, local and national secondary roads, the Department said.
Recommendations from the review have been incorporated into the Road Traffic Act 2024, which provides the legislative basis for the upcoming changes to default speed limits.
The definition of the striped ‘rural speed limit’ sign, which emerged on Irish roads in 2015, is set to change along with the new speed limit reductions.
A confusing sign for non-Irish drivers, the white circle with five black stripes is used as an alternative to the 80 km/h sign on single-lane rural roads.
The Department of Transport confirmed that as part of the new speed limit reductions, the meaning of the Rural Speed Limit sign will change from 80km/h to 60km/h as well.
Strangely, the same sign means “an end to all restrictions” in some European countries, and indicates “no speed limit” on German roads.
Additional reporting by David McRedmond
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