Starting next week, speed limits on many roads in Cork will drop significantly, urging drivers to be cautious to avoid fines.
From Friday, February 7, the speed limit on rural local roads will drop from 80km/h to 60km/h. New signs will be put up to show these changes.
The Rural Speed Limit sign will also change its meaning. It will now indicate a limit of 60km/h instead of 80km/h. A full list of affected roads is available for those interested.
CorkBeo has reached out to An Garda Síochána to see if they will increase road policing to enforce these new limits.
Between 2020 and 2024, 73% of road deaths occurred on rural roads with speed limits of 80km/h or higher. Almost half of serious injuries happened on these roads.
This change is part of the Road Traffic Act 2024, with more speed limit reductions expected later this year.
In urban areas, the speed limit will drop from 50km/h to 30km/h. National secondary roads will see a decrease from 100km/h to 80km/h.
Road deaths in Ireland have risen sharply in recent years. After a decline from 365 fatalities in 2006 to 132 in 2021, numbers increased to 155 in 2022, 184 in 2023, and 174 in 2024.
A transport expert recently suggested new speed management strategies, like traffic lights that flash red when drivers exceed speed limits.
Former AA Ireland chief Conor Faughnan mentioned that more speed and traffic cameras are likely to be introduced.
Ireland may also adopt a system from Portugal, where traffic lights turn red on main roads if drivers speed.
