Advice for Car Drivers
Slow Down
Check the Garda Speed Enforcement Zones and know your speed limits on our roads to keep us all safer
Motorists and all Road Users are advised that:
- Safety Cameras are proven life savers
- The Key Priority of these Zones is to “Make our Roads Safer”
- Road Users should become familiar with all speed enforcement Zones
- These are areas which carry high risk of speed related collisions
- Be Aware of the Posted Speed Limits for your Journey
- Speed Kills
- Reduce Speed and Drive at the right speed for the conditions
- Don’t drive when impaired either through alcohol, drugs or fatigue
- Always wear a seatbelt and ensure passengers are wearing theirs too, no matter how short the trip.
Seatbelts -
Everytime, Every Trip, Everybody Belt Up
Promoting the use of seat belts as a key road safety behaviour.
Passenger seat belts
This campaign encourages drivers to ask their passengers, both in the front and rear seats, to put on their seat belt. As the driver of the car, you have the power and authority to tell anyone travelling with you to belt up.
The advice to everyone travelling in a car, whether driving or as a passenger, is to always wear your seat belt before you set off.
Research on attitudes to seatbelt wearing of adults under 35 years showed that forgetting to wear a seat belt is the main reason for not wearing them. But the simple act of asking your passengers to put on their seat belt will help reduce fatalities and serious injuries. The same research also shows that passengers expect to be asked by the driver to wear their seat belt.
No-one ever died asking their mates to wear their seat belt. Every time, every trip, everybody belt up.
The facts behind our seat belt campaign
In a 2020 behavioural and attitudinal survey:
- 97% of motorists surveyed use a seat belt when they are a driver
- 97% use a seat belt when they are a front passenger
- 84% use a seat belt when they are a rear passenger.
26% of all Car Users killed in the period 2013 – 2020 were NOT wearing a Seat Belt.
Tyre safety - When your tyre loses grip, you lose everything – Check them regularly
There is no component in your car that’s as likely to contribute to a crash as your tyres. Tyres are the only part of your vehicle in contact with the road surface. That’s why it's vital you choose the appropriate tyres and keep them correctly maintained. Your safety, and the safety of your passengers and other road users, depend on it.
Research has told us that on average in 14 deaths each year, tyres were a contributory factor in the crash that killed the people involved.
The reason for this is that tyres simply aren’t on the radar. You never think about them until you need to. And we need to get people to think about them before it gets to that stage. To think about what a worn tyre might cost them. What you might lose contact with when your tyres lose grip with the road.
As your vehicle’s safety and performance, especially in wet conditions, are significantly reduced as your tyres wear, it is vital that you know about tyre safety
All of your tyres must:
- meet the correct standard and size for your vehicle
- be properly inflated
- be free from defects
- have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm
