Speed limits on rural local roads will decrease from 80km/h to 60km/h from Friday as part of the Government's 'Slower Speeds, Safer Roads' campaign.
The campaign will see speed limits being reduced on many Irish roads this year, under the Road Traffic Act 2024.
The first of the changes to speed limits will be on rural, local roads.
These roads are named with 'L' on maps and as these are mostly rural roads, it is believed the changes will have a relatively small impact on traffic and commute times.
The Rural Speed Limit sign - a white circle with five diagonal black lines - with the words "Go Mall, Slow" written underneath will be changed from Friday to signify to motorists that they should drive at a limit of 60km/h.
According to a 2023 Speed Limit Review, commissioned by the Department of Transport, implementing speed limit reductions results in significant safety benefits.
At a filling station just off the M4 in Lucan, Co Dublin, motorists had mixed opinions on the incoming reductions on speed limit.
"I don't really think it's going to solve anything," one said.
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"There needs to be more traffic guards on the road, and I think that's what the problem is," he said.
Another motorist was also sceptical that reducing the official speed limits would make a real difference.
"It's better training and enforcement of the laws we need," he said, "and give the [gardaí] the power to stop us when we're not behaving."
One motorist felt not enough was being done to tell drivers that the limits were changing, adding it would confuse people.
Another driver said she welcomed the reduction in rural areas but that she would like to see speed limits taken on a case-by-case basis.
"It should be depending on the road quality rather than whether it's a regional or national road," she said.
One man was strongly in favour of the speed limit reductions.
"Every weekend you see the number of road deaths," he said.
"I do think we drive too fast ... some of the speed limits on rural roads and country roads are mind-boggling.
"Reduce the speed limits but ultimately we want to see a reduction in road deaths," he added.
Between 2020 and 2024, almost three in every four road deaths (73%) occurred on a rural road with a speed limit of 80km/h or more.
Nearly half (47%) of all serious injuries during the same time period occurred on these roads.
The speed limit in urban cores such as built-up areas, housing estates and town centres will reduce to 30km/h later this year.
A speed limit reduction on national secondary roads from 100km/h to 80km/h is also expected to take effect later in 2025.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said 200 people were arrested for driving intoxicated since Friday.
He said overall compliance is increasing but a small cohort of drivers who believe "it will never happen to them" persist.
