A new network of mobile camera units commenced operations throughout the country last Monday morning. The speed cameras will be positioned in areas where road fatalities have occurred in the past.
Indeed, at the time of writing 197 people have been killed on the roads this year. And the cameras are part of a long-term plan by the the Road Safety Authority to continue to lower road fatalities and injuries related to excessive speed.
A positive difference with this initiative is that the private contractor operating the scheme is paid on an hourly basis and not on a score ratio that annoys drivers, so the old ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ analogy does not apply. In order to further emphasise this point, the Gardai has published a list of enforcement zones where the new mobile speed detection cameras will be deployed.
The Gardai in conjunction with the National Roads Authority, have completed an extensive analysis of the collision history on the road network where speed was a contributory factor. Sections of road have been identified where a significant proportion of accidents occurred whereby, in the opinion of the investigating garda, a safe speed was exceeded.
Based on this analysis, a list of Speed Enforcement Zones has been developed with the aim of providing information to motorists in order to raise awareness of speeding in these zones. An Garda Síochána will utilise these zones in order to direct speed enforcement activity in a proportionate and targeted manner.
These zones will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis through continuing analysis, feedback, and sharing of information with other stakeholders.
Each county’s zones are available to view in detail on www.garda.ie by county, with the length of the road section concerned, from point to point, and the road name.
