'Driving slower saves lives' Speed limits to be introduced on rural, local roads

Speed limits on rural, local roads will change from 80 km/h to 60km/h from Friday, February 7, 2025.

The Department of Transport outlined rural, local roads as roads that "primarily serve local traffic and connect rural communities. These roads are designated with an ‘L’ followed by a number, or do not have a number."

The new reduction in speed limits is part of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy and is one of a range of measures intended to reduce fatalities and protect all road users. 

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Local authorities have received grant funding from the Department of Transport to purchase and install poles and signs to display the new speed limit on the relevant roads. The ‘rural speed limit sign’, which is used as an alternative to numeric speed limit signs on specific single lane rural roads, will now mean that a maximum 60km/h limit is in force. 

As with all speed limits, it will be an offence to exceed the stated limit. The Department of Transport has been working closely with An Garda Síochána, along with other stakeholders, to ensure that the 60 km/h limit is enforced.       

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien welcomed the change, he said: "Today’s speed limit reduction will save lives, because driving slower saves lives. Driving at a lower speed means that if you get into a collision, either as a driver or a vulnerable road user, death or serious injury is a significantly less likely outcome. It also means you are less likely to be involved in a collision at all. 

"Death and serious injuries on our roads are not inevitable, they are preventable through tangible, sensible measures. This Government is taking action to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries."

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said: "Today’s speed limit change is an outcome of many years of consultation, deliberation and engagement across the system, most notably from the evidence base of the 2023 Speed Limit Review and close collaboration with local authorities who are implementing this reduction.

This welcome change will give us all safer roads. Systemic changes like today’s speed limit reduction and road safety education, along with enforcement have helped us significantly bring down road deaths, but in recent years this trend has worryingly reversed.

Together we can make our roads safer, by observing the speed limit, driving safely and looking out for one another on rural local roads."

For more information on speed limits, visit gov.ie/speedlimits 

For more information on changes in their local area, the public can check with their local authority.