The government announced intentions to lower speed restrictions on several highways last year, including lowering the 80 km/h limit on local roads to 60 km/h.

On national secondary routes, where the present limit is 100 km/h, the plan also caps speed at 80 km/h.

The speed restriction on roadways inside towns, cities, and residential areas would be 30 km/h, whereas the speed limit on routes outside of urban areas maybe 50 km/h.

James Lawless who is Minister for Transport stated that the default local load restriction of 60 km/h would be implemented in November of this year.

"That will be followed in the early new year by the regional road limits and so on," he stated.

The announcement of the adjustments came amid an increase in traffic fatalities last year, with 184 deaths overall, the highest number since 2014.

With 104 fatalities on the roads so far this year, up 15 from the same period last year, there has been a significant uptick in traffic fatalities.