Road Wise: Rural speed limit | Shannonside.ie
By Daniela Rana · Shannonside · 11 October 2026

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Since February last year, the rural speed limit has changed.The maximum is now 60km/h, reduced from the previous 80km/h.The change was made to improve driving b...
Since February last year, the rural speed limit has changed. The maximum is now 60km/h, reduced from the previous 80km/h.
The change was made to improve driving behaviour and increase the chance of survival in the case of a collision. According to the Road Safety Authority, the risk of death for a pedestrian hit by a motor vehicle increases significantly with speed:
In this feature, David Martin from the RSA explains where the limit is in place.
This road safety programme is made with the support of the IBI and the Sound and Vision scheme, a Coimisiún na Meán initiative funded by the television licence fee.
Reporting by Daniela Rana for Shannonside, funded by the News Reporting Scheme. Republished by News Room under the scheme’s reuse permission.
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