Driving law in Ireland

Driving in Ireland

Bicycle in Merrion Square Dublin Mmmm.There was a time when road and driving laws in Ireland were honoured more in the breach than the observance but no more. Increased vigilence and larger penalties have had an effect as has the massive growth in numbers of road users, which were the old ways still in practice would quickly lead to chaos.

Even smaller towns how have little on street parking, obsevant traffic police and enthisiastic traffic wardens. On the spot fines are the order of the day and wide powers to seize vehicles also tend to focus the mind!

Compliance with the law by Irish drivers, in common with those elsewhere, is not univeral. Nor cyclists either it would seem!

Driving Licences

You do not need any special licence to drive in Ireland if you are from the USA, Canada, Australia or an EU country. If your licence is in a non-roman script you will need an International Driving Licence to either drive here or to rent a car.

Seat Belts

The wearing of seat belts in mandatory in both the front and rear seats of a car. Children under 17 must where possible travel in the rear seats of the car, and the law requires that the driver off the car ensure that all children are suitably restrained.. On the spot fines apply to those not wearing seat belts.

Speed Limits

Speed limits are expressed in Kilometers per Hour and well signposted.

The penalties for exceeding speed limits are stiff and are applied as on the spot fines, so it pays to be aware of them and to observe them.

There are broadly 4 different types of speed limit in effect on Irish roads, each of which is dependant on the type of road you are travelling on - keep on the look out for speed limit signs.

Road Type	Kilometers/hour	Miles/hour
Motorway (Blue Signs)	120 km/h	75 mph
National Roads (Green signs)	100 km/h	62 mph
Regional/Local Roads (White Signs)	80 km/h	50 mph
In Towns & Cities	50 km/h	31 mph

Special Speed Limits: Apply in areas where there is a particular safety reason for limiting speed. When these lower limits apply you will see road signs like the red ringed one here stating the speed limit.

If you are planning a journey bear in mind that in the area of both towns and places frequented by tourists traffic tends to actually move at speeds well less than the limit.

Parking Regulations

These are made locally and vary hugely in different parts of the country, even Irish people travelling to another area get very confused, so it is no wonder that visitors are often totally mystified.

Highly enthusiastic parking wardens police the regulations and are very vigilant, some seem to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in catching transgressors! Illegally parked cars can and will be clamped or even towed away and impounded.

You can take it that parking on the street is severely restricted in most towns and cities in Ireland, and around busy tourist areas. The signs on the left indicate, respectively, areas where parking is and is not permitted. A total ban on parking is also indicated by a double yellow line on the side of the road, a single yellow line indicates that parking may be permitted at some times, usually at weekends or out of business hours.

Check signs in the area for details carefully while someone is still with the car - don't just chance it!

Disc Parking or Pay-and-Display parking applies in many places for on-street parking and in surface car parks [parking lots]. These schemes vary from place to place, but generally permits are available to purchase in shops close to the parking area.

Drinking and Driving

Don't even think about it. The law is strict and Gardai run regular checks on motorists. The legal limit for alcohol is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which just about allows you to have a glass of wine with a meal - though of course the best and safest advice of all is to avoid alcohol completely if you are driving.

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