Speed limits are being reduced on hundreds of rural roads in the Republic of Ireland as part of a Government plan to tackle the number of road deaths.
Thousands of new road speed signs show that limits will decrease from 80km/h (50mph) to 60km/h (37mph) and will apply from Friday.
The move is targeted at rural and local roads which serve local travel and connect rural communities, the Department of Transport said.
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These roads are designated with an “L” followed by a number, or do not have a number.
Reducing speed limits is part of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy and is part of a range of measures intended to reduce fatalities and protect road users.
Friday’s change is the first phase of a nationwide speed limit overhaul which will see further reductions introduced.
Later in the year, the speed limit in urban cores, which include built-up areas as well as housing estates and town centres, will be reduced from 50km/h (31mph) to 30km/h (18.6mph).
The speed limit on national secondary roads will also be reduced from 100km/h (62mph) to 80km/h (50mph).
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.
The Department of Transport said it has been working closely with the Irish police (An Garda Siochana), along with other stakeholders, to ensure that the 60km/h limit is enforced.
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Research by the Road Safety Authority has shown that seven in every 10 fatal traffic collisions happen on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or higher.
It also show that speed is a contributory factor in a third of fatal collisions and that reducing speed significantly reduces road deaths.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien 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 Sean 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.”