Editorial: Insane speeds on Kilkenny roads have alarm bells ringing

Some of the speeds recorded by gardaí around the country during their enforcement campaign over the bank holiday are simply frightening.

It’s little wonder we are seeing the amount of carnage on the roads that has been a hallmark of this year to date.

One motorist —on a stretch of road in Piltown famously dubbed the ‘valley of death’ due to the number of fatal accidents on it —was detected doing 186km per hour in a 100km per hour  zone.

In Kilkenny, there were additional checkpoints and a high garda visibility on the roads as a road safety campaign was in place over the bank holiday weekend.

It’s welcome to see that there were 20 mandatory intoxicant checkpoints in place along with 44 other checkpoints in operation across the weekend, with the goal of keeping road users safe. 

Gardaí also seized four vehicles   for lack of valid insurance in Kilkenny, while  there were two people arrested on suspicion of drink driving and a third  arrested on suspicion of drug driving.

Praise is due to the gardaí. These high-profile operations are designed not only to catch offenders but also to deter would-be offenders and improve driver behaviour. 

 Until relatively recently the number of road fatalities had been falling but that trend has reversed. Over 115 people have died on Irish roads in 2024, a big increase on the same time last year.

A considerable effort will be required to reverse this trend.

ARTS FESTIVAL
There is great excitement in Kilkenny with the launch of this year’s Arts Festival on Thursday.
READ MORE KILKENNY ARTS NEWS

The city has been buzzing in the build-up to the festival, which is a favourite of many when, for ten days, the city basks in a sea of creativity.

This year, the programme is packed full of events to appeal to all tastes so make sure to see what is on offer on our doorstep.  Make sure to read our four-page festival preview, with contributions from some of the festival’s leading lights.