Waterford driver clocked at almost 200km/h as gardaí reveal shocking Christmas speeding

A driver on a Waterford road was clocked travelling at almost double the speed limit during gardaí’s Christmas road safety operation, new figures have revealed.

As part of a nationwide enforcement campaign, gardaí detected a vehicle travelling at 192km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N25 in Kilmeaden, one of the most serious speeding cases recorded in the country in recent days.

The shocking Waterford incident was highlighted in An Garda Síochána’s Week 3 update of its Christmas Road Safety Campaign, which has been running since December 1 and continues through to January 5.

Gardaí said that during the third week of the operation, between December 15 and 21, there were six fatalities and 13 serious collisions on Irish roads, with a number of people suffering life-threatening injuries.

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More than 5,393 drivers were detected speeding nationwide during that week alone, with gardaí and GoSafe safety camera vans operating across the country.

Alongside the Waterford case, other extreme speeds included motorists clocked at 95km/h in a 50km/h zone in Dublin, 122km/h in a 60km/h zone in Limerick and 144km/h in an 80km/h zone in Donegal.

Gardaí carried out over 2,021 checkpoints during the week, arresting 170 people for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, while more than 650 vehicles were seized for road traffic offences.

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In addition, gardaí issued approximately 436 fixed charge notices for mobile phone use and 81 for seatbelt offences.

Gardaí warned that the Christmas period is one of the busiest and most dangerous times on Irish roads, with 184 people having lost their lives in road traffic collisions so far this year.

An Garda Síochána is urging all motorists, particularly in Waterford and across the south east, to slow down, take extra care and give their driving their full attention.