News & Info

New speed limit road signs are to be installed on local roads across the country throughout February to reflect the change.

‘Local roads’ are those with four or five digit route numbers, prefixed by ‘L’ and cover about 81,300km of roads across the country. They are typically roads in less densely populated areas, but also some of the busier roads near towns and villages.

As local roads are the responsibility of the council of that area, councils had the final say on whether to reduce speed limits on their roads. As a result, not all local roads will be impacted by the reductions.

According to the Road Safety Authority’s 2022 Profile of Speeding in Ireland study, 72% of fatalities from road traffic accidents occurred when the vehicle was being driven at speeds greater than 60km/h. The study also showed that, of all fatalities that were caused by speed between 2013 and 2017, 77% of these occurred on rural roads where the speed limit was 80km/h or greater.

Paul Tracey, Managing Partner at Tracey Solicitors LLP, said of the speed limit changes:

“RSA statistics have consistently shown that speeding is one of the most dangerous driving behaviours and one of the leading causes of road traffic accidents. Reducing speed limits on Ireland’s narrow rural roads makes a lot of sense, and I hope it will help to change behaviours, and importantly, lower the number of accidents on these roads.”

Further changes are expected to take effect later this year with the aim to further decrease the speed limit on some national urban and secondary roads.