We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
GOSAFE SPEED CAMERAS record 7,375 hours of driving in more than 700 locations across the country each month.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John Twomey of the Garda National Traffic Bureau told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that the average compliance in the 727 monitored zones was above 90 per cent.
However, he added that excessive speed remains “the number one road safety problem” in Ireland.
Twomey noted that despite an annual increase in road deaths to 190 in 2013 – up from 161 in 2012 - the number represented the third lowest ever recorded.
He said that there had been more than a 50 per cent decrease since 2006, when 396 people died on our roads.
Twomey stated that “speed enforcement zones” were chosen based on “the analysis of five years of collision data”, adding that the “simple, single, sole objective [of the zones] is to reduce road fatalities”.
“We focus more on certain areas than others because of that collision data,” Twomey said, adding that the system was “under constant review”.
When compliance rates in an area increase, new zones are added.
Twomey said three in ten road deaths are related to speed, but that there had been a 40 per cent reduction in speed-related fatal collisions last year.
The Garda’s speed camera operations were outsourced to GoSafe in November 2010 and became fully operational in March 2011.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John Twomey (Source: Screengrab/Oireachats TV)
When questioned about a Prime Time report broadcast earlier this month in which a former GoSafe employee said that some motorists incorrectly received penalty points for speedings offences , Cornelius O’Donohue, Superintendent of the Garda National Traffic Bureau, stated that this occurred due to “how equipment was set up, not equipment itself”.
He said he was confident that the GoSafe cameras and vehicles were operating to the “best and highest standard”.
Twomey said that data from every collision is shared with the Road Safety Authority and the National Roads Authority.
He added that an Garda Síochána worked with local authorities to help reduce road fatalities by focusing on the 3 E’s: Enforcement, Engineering and Education.
Twomey said that comments made by Judge Patrick Durcan at Kilrush District Court last month about the failure of securing speed-related convictions being a “complete waste of public money” indicated “the process more so than the legislation” is at fault.
He added that there were no “systemic issues” in this regard.
Fine Gael’s Patrick O’Donovan questioned how people charged with speeding offences can fail to turn up in court and use the defence that they never received a summons.
O’Donohue said that the success of this defence “varies depending on how the judge feels about the evidence provided on the day”.
He added that the Road Traffic Act 2010 will remove this defence as it
changes how Gardaí serve summonses and gives the driver an additional opportunity to pay their fine.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
In fairness, if everyone drove at speed limit or below, then the cash cow would soon dry up. However these speed vans would be of more use in country areas on R roads, rather than plonked on a dual carriageway or motorway. I live in a country town and would love to see one of these vans on entrance to it as most people here drive like tools! Take them off the safer roads and put them where they may actually save a life!
They are only on Dual Carriageways approaching road class changes and signal controlled junctions, never ever on a motorway for safety reasons. The cash made from the GoSafe initiative covers the running and maintenance of the system and operators. Not to mention the replacements needed when some fool decides to set one alight. Road safety and driving standards are the absolute pits in this little island. Out road deaths/population ratio is quite high. The issue is not with speed limits allowable it’s the fact that road users are not trained well enough to handle changing conditions and emergencies. Where else can you sit your driving test, fail, and drive home ??
Martina you are 100% correct it’s about time these lunatics were taught a lesson it’s because of the style of driving that all of us are paying the price in insurance polices the Government should now bring stiffer fines more penalty points when caught speeding and increase the number of go safe vans and Gardai on speed cameras that should give the lunatics to rethink and put road safety first when driving.
The attitude of ah sure I was only going a few km over the speed limit needs to change, how about going a few km under speed limit and then we won’t have to worry, the attitude of some drivers in this country is a joke! I couldn’t give a shite if they put these vans on every road in the country. Won’t bother me, if you’re caught, you’re caught, suck it up and learn from it! I’ve lost friends due to speeding, some their own doing, some, the cause of others. Grow up people, I’d rather get there late rather than not at all.
Jesus Alan what election or office are you running for !!!
Gerry I am only interested in having someone driving a car to return home and not to be met at a front door by a member of the Garda how many times have we seen a mother or father or a family members saying if only. The other thing I want to say is most of these idiot’s cannot handle a fast car that’s where I am coming from.
Alan why take the extreme view? The view that everybody with penalty points is a dangerous driver is complete balls in my view their should be a grater focus on drink driving instead of go safe vans funding the quango that is the RSA
You are obviously one of the sheeple who can’t tell the difference between ‘speeding’ as in an offence under statute, and ‘excessive speed’, which is the figure the RSA use in their reports most often. This is a deliberate ruse as the latter figure is bigger than the former, whilst only the former is actually an offence. Bigger numbers look good on reports, see.
Besides, according to the RSA themselves, the biggest cause of accidents is actually ‘wrong side of road’, some 52%. ‘other’ comes in at 37% but, surprise-surprise ‘exceed safe speed limit’ is only……11%. (note the subtle description isn’t actually ‘speeding’ as in an offence…) Don’t take my word for it, read it here: http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Road%20Safety/Crash%20Stats/2011_Road_Collision_Fact_Book.pdf
And the camera are revenue machines. I’ve heard it repeatedly from serving members of AGS themselves. Again, it’s all optics. And there is no income to the State anymore – last year they had to write a cheque to GoSafe for the SHORTFALL in speeding fines collected vs predicted………..shades of the NTR and the M50 Toll again there then……..The GoSafe ad says they’re located in locations of recorded/fatal accidents. BS. Even according to their own website, here: http://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Ireland-Road-Collisions/ the road I live on hasn’t had a serious accident in 5 years – and non-fatal at that: but they have two camera locations on it ? Nothing like false advertising, eh ?
Well said John
The speed vans should be renamed “gocash”vans.
The one on the limerick dual Carriage way is just a money racket. Hidden in a dip just after the 120 limit ends. The same in Dublin on the Nass road after the red cow m50 motorway that’s parked beside Woodies. 4 lanes of traffic at 60 km. shooting fish in barrels as apposed to getting people to slow down on dodgy roads.
There are a few locations close to where I live where I have never heard of a fatality but its a favourite spot for the vans, spots where the road opens up a bit but not the speed limit so its a guaranteed revenue spot, joke
its a money scam and way of showing that something is being done without actually focusing on what actually causes “accidents”. Anyone Ive heard about in Dublin being involved in accidents, it was , being rear ended while stuck in traffic, running a red light, incorrect joining a major road. In none of them speed was the issue. Carelessness and or aggressive driving was the problem. Someone doing 70KM instead of 60KM on the N11 is not a danger to anyone, yet this is what is “measured” as being bad driving. pencil pushing fool the lot of them
Speed is not the issue in a rear ender??? If the driver had been driving at an appropriate speed they would have been able to stop in the distance that was clear, not rear ending another vehicle. That tiny bit extra was the difference between being able to stop and crashing. Too fast.
eh no, my friend was stopped in traffic , rear ended at probably ~30km, the other driver didnt see the car nor made any attempt to stop.
So the driver was going too fast to be able to stop for a stationary vehicle. You cannot say what the driver could see or not.
The difference between doing 70 and doing 60 means 36% more (kinetic) energy. That is a significant amount and will easily make the outcome much more likely to be fatal to those involved.
It is not a money scam, it has been shown that speed enforcement reduces the number of deaths on the road.
If it is a money scam it would be the easiest one in the world to avoid: Go below the speed limit. Couldn’t be -ing easier.
So rear-ended at 30kmh. Speed not an issue? How about rear-ended at 50? 80? Sure speed is an issue?
@E city traffic at rush hour, no one is going to be doing 80, the person that caused the accident was either on a phone or otherwise distracted with eyes not on the road, speed was not the issue, concentration was.
if we are talking about rural driving speed im sure is more of an issue.
Never seen one of those vans on a clogged city street during rush hour.
Assuming 60kmh is the speed limit, 70kmh makes a difference of in a 17%. Nobody is defending this manner of driving.
Personal opinion only, but I think the go safe cameras are nothing more the a revenue exercise for the government. I don think they have had much impact on road safety !!! Just my opinion
A speed camera that makes money obviously isn’t working because people aren’t slowing down. My Real gripe is the unmarked vans, they are deliberately purely to make money,at least the marked ones slow ppl down on the day
Keith I see these cameras every day the set up in road work zones after work is finished and still do ppl for driving over the special limit it’s a joke
Mr Toomey is wrong when he says excessive speed remains “the number one road safety problem”. He may be right in saying that 30% of road deaths are down to speeding, yet he doesn’t tell us what type of speeding. Inappropriate speed kills much more than excessive speed. So he should be giving us those figures and not having us believe it’s all due to breaking the speed limit.
Its not ‘SPEED@ itself thats the problem its inappropriate speed & reckless driving that is the Real problem. I could be cruising along the motorway at 80kmh if I pull out in to a outer lane without looking then its not my speed thats at fault its because im reckless.
This fixation is only to justify cashcams at various locations. If we were really serious about speed cameras then they woul dbe outside very school, hospital & old peoples home in the country but they are not. Nope on corners on duallers etc etc…….Hypocrisy of the highest order & no small wonder its never taken fully serious by joe public
Pass the information on to the insurance companies of the people who don’t speed..
And let them give us a reduction in our premiums for being safe drivers……
Not going to happen now is it????..
You mean the people who don’t get caught!
The amount of 100km/hr zones on regional roads should be reduced.. it is clearly too dangerous on some roads.
Like wise there are some 80 km roads that could be increased to 100 km
60km on a dual carriage way with a speed van sitting on it
Saving lives ?
No training for learners drivers for motorways
Most people have lost the ability to use indictors
Roundabouts forget it
The right and left lane on a motorway the mystery seems to baffle most drivers
The older driver and screw the law I’m using the mobile and Bluetooth sure that’s mad science stuff
I hate the buggers, but 10% non compliance justifies them being there.
Most regular users of particular roads know where these guys are likely to be located and are unlikely to be caught.
The cowboy who doesn’t know or care deserves the ticket.
- and yes, in my past, I have been that cowboy.
Anybody here giving their opinion take the time to read the breakdown of speeding fines that was published few months back ? I was interesting reading and provided absolute proof to me that speed cameras are nothing but cash cows! Also as a last point 10 times the number killed on the roads commit suicide every year but we hear fook all about that.
have your say