Default speed limits on rural local roads in Ireland will decrease from 80km/h to 60km/h on Friday, February 7.

The meaning of the Rural Speed Limit sign (a white circle with five diagonal black lines) will change from 80km/h to 60km/h as well.

Friday’s changes are the first of a number planned for 2025. Later this year, the speed limit in urban cores, which include built-up areas as well as housing estates and town centres, will be reduced to 30km/h. 

The speed limit on national secondary roads will also be reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h.

“Introducing more consistent and appropriate speed limits will help to improve road safety in Ireland,” Ireland’s Department of Transport says.

The changes to Ireland’s speed limits are being made under the Road Traffic Act 2024, which follows a number of key recommendations from the Speed Limit Review, which was undertaken by the Department in 2023. The Review fulfilled a Programme for Government commitment and an action included in the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.

Why are speed limits on Ireland's roads being reduced?

Ireland’s Department of Transport says the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 seeks to improve road safety in Ireland and make roads safer for all road users. The Strategy focuses on achieving Vision Zero, zero road deaths or serious injuries by 2050.

The Department noted that between 2006 and 2021, there was a “strong downwards trend in the number of fatalities” on Irish roads - falling from 365 fatalities in 2006 to 132 in 2021, the safest year on record.

However, this period was followed by two successive years of increase; in 2023, there were 180 fatalities on Irish roads.

While the Department noted that initial reports from 2024 show a small decline in the number of fatalities compared with 2023, “the recent trend has raised concerns about reaching Government Road Safety targets.”

The Department added: “Road safety is a key priority for Government, and reducing speed limits aims to curb this trend and bring down the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Irish roads.”

To ensure enforcement of the new speed limits, there will be continued collaboration between An Garda Síochána and local authorities.

"There can be no transitionary period," Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries in the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said. "From Friday 7 February, those travelling faster than the new legal speed limit on rural roads will be liable for prosecution."

Humphries added: "An Garda Síochána will be utilising our network of roads policing and front line resources and technology to enforce these new speed limits on local rural roads.

"An Garda Síochána partners in Road Safety, GoSafe, will also be deploying mobile safety camera vans as required to enforce the new lower speed limits."

To increase awareness about the changes, the Irish Government launched its "Slower Speeds, Safer Roads" campaign in January.