Gardaí in Kilkenny respond to motorist who 'wasn't going over the speed limit'

An encounter between a garda and motorist in Kilkenny last weekend has prompted local gardaí to spread a message about speed limits.

"One of our members working at the Duathlon in Kilkenny had a little reflection on duties last weekend," gardaí stated.

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"The garda's duties required him to stand in the middle of the road intermittently stopping traffic to allow entry and exit by competitors on the Castle Road.

"The vast majority of motorists took notice of the signage, marshals, competitors and gardaí and appropriately moderated their speed.

"As one vehicle approached however, the garda had to gesture the driver to slow down. The driver rolled down his window and looking bemused said 'I wasn't going over the speed limit'.

"Let's think for a second, the speed limit is exactly that, a limit. It assumes no additional risk factors whereas this motorist was cruising into a situation with multiple hazards.

"A pedestrian, such as the garda on this duty, if hit at 50kmh, has a 60% chance of not ever returning home.

"Our uniforms do not protect us from vehicle impacts. Like anyone, we can stumble, lose footing or merely misjudge.

"When you're cocooned in your car with crumple zones, seatbelts and airbags consider the vulnerable road users not so protected."