Lower rural speed limit will save lives
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Transport Minister Leo Varadkar's promised review of speed limits on rural roads is long overdue. The current speed limits of 80kmh and in some cases even 100kmh on virtually all rural roads are in many cases wildly excessive, as the fact that most fatal road accidents now occur on such roads, attests.
As anyone who drives regularly on rural roads well knows there is a coterie of drivers, mainly but not exclusively composed of young men, who regard the speed limits on rural roads, no matter how inappropriate, as a minimum rather than a maximum speed at which to travel.
It is surely no coincidence that this age-group accounts for a disproportionate number of road accident fatalities.
With the stricter enforcement of the drink driving legislation, the construction of motorways between our major urban centres and the introduction of penalty points having led to a 60pc reduction of road accident deaths, the equivalent of almost 300 people annually, over the past 15 years, the introduction of appropriate rural speed limits is virtually the only piece of the road safety jigsaw that is still missing.
Not alone must Mr Varadkar cut rural speed limits to more appropriate levels he must also ensure that the new, lower speed limits are enforced. It is only be doing so that the death toll among young drivers will be reduced.
