New Speed Limits on Irish Roads
Speed limits on Irish roads are being lowered to help reduce fatalities nationwide.
The first changes will take effect on Friday, February 7, 2025, when the default speed limit on rural local roads will drop from 80 km/h to 60 km/h. New speed limit signs will be installed to reflect this update, and the meaning of the Rural Speed Limit sign (a white circle with five diagonal black lines) will also change from 80 km/h to 60 km/h.
The speed limit in urban cores will be reduced from 50km/h to 30km/h. The meaning of the rural speed limit sign, which is a white circle with three diagonal black lines, will also change from 80km/h to 60km/h.
If you are caught driving over the speed limit, you will get three penalty points and a fixed charge fine of €160. If you do not pay the fine within 28 days, it increases to €240, and if this increased fine is not paid, you will be summonsed to court.
If convicted, you could be fined up to €1,000 and receive up to five penalty points. You can avoid going to court by paying €320 (twice the sum of the original fine) no later than 7 days before the court date specified in the summons.
Some 174 people lost their lives on the country’s roads in 2024, while 180 people died in 2023. The Government’s current road safety strategy focuses on achieving ‘Vision Zero’ – zero road deaths or serious injuries by 2050.
The speed limit changes follow a number of key recommendations from the Speed Limit Review, which was undertaken by the Department for Transport in 2023.