ONLY A TINY proportion of drivers on the roads were driving in excess of the speed limit, as 276 motorists were caught speeding on National Slow Down Day. 

Taking place from 7am yesterday morning and finishing at 7am earlier today, An Garda Síochána checked 164,032 vehicles for their speed over the course of the 24 hours.

Some of the more notable speeding offences detected included a driver travelling at 177km/hr in a 120km zone on the M9 at Knocktopher in Kilkenny, 155km/hr in a 100km zone at Piltown in Kilkenny and 82km/hr in a 50km zone on the N63 in Galway. 

Chief superintendent Finbarr Murphy of the Roads Policing Bureau said: “When someone decides to speed they put members of their community at risk, including children, older people, cyclists and other motorists. 

I would like to thank the drivers who were monitored and were driving safely within the speed limits. These drivers were behaving responsibly and did not put other road users at risk. We would appeal to all road users to ALWAYS drive safely and within the speed limit not just on National Slow Down Day.