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The speed limit for vehicles towing trailers, caravans, etc is 80 km/h (or less where signposted). The speed limit for trucks (over 3.5 tonnes) and single deck buses is 80 km/h (or less where signposted). The speed limit for double deck buses is 65 km/h.
*A lower speed limit may be signposted where road conditions dictate Valid: 2005.01.20
2. Caution should be exercised when driving under the influence of alcohol. The legal tolerance limit is 0.08%.3. Wearing of seat belts is compulsory in front and rear seats.4. Children under 12 years age not permitted in front seats.5. It is recommended to carry breakdown warning triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and spare bulb kit in vehicle. If you wear glasses, bring a spare pair in the car with you.6. Minimum Driving age: 17 years.7. Documents required when driving
8. Drive on the left and vehicle headlights should be focused accordingly.9. Avoid accidents at traffic signals by not braking suddenly when the lights turn to amber. This note particularly applies to drivers from GB who frequently create accident situations for themselves by not adopting to the driving style of the country they are driving in.10. PrecedenceTraffic coming from the right-hand side has precedence on roundabouts (traffic rotaries)
11. Direction Sign Colo(u)rs and Road TypesFreeways/Motorways = Blue In total there are some 87,400 km of highways which are classified as follows: M routes "Motorways" M1, M4, M7, M11 and M50 - ie divided highways with 4 or more lanes together, usually with an emergency lane in either direction
E RoutesE01 The N1,M1, M11 and N11 form part of the E1 Trans European route which runs from Larne in Northern Ireland via Dublin down the East coast of Ireland to the Iberian Peninsula via Lisbon and ending at Seville in Southern Spain. Total length 2509km of which 360km is on the island of Ireland.
E20
E201
E25
More information on the E route system can be found here.
12. Tolls
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 | If you are used to an automatic, be sure to specify automatic when making your reservation |
| When you drive the car for the first time, take it around the block at the airport a few times to get used to the controls and driving on the left-hand side of the road |
| Try and avoid the narrower R roads for the first day or so until you are familiar with your car and the driving environment |
| Get a good map at the airport, and have someone other than the driver to navigate |
| Take your time - drive slowly at first until you gain confidence. Watch the signs carefully! |
| If you cross the road to park or to visit a gas station, be sure to return to a driving position on the left-hand side after you exit the space! |
Parking regulations are strictly enforced, particularly in Dublin city. Tow trucks and vehicle disabling programs are in operation. Parking meters operate in the downtown area - check signs for days and hours of chargeable parking specific to a location. The typical cost € 1,30 to 1,90 per hour). Many meters are of the "Pay and Display" variety, with a single solar powered meter serving about 20 spaces. As coins are inserted, the parking expiry time for the amount inserted is displayed. When sufficient coins have been deposited, pressing the green button causes a two part ticket to be printed. The larger part should be stuck to the windshield, and the counterfoil can be retained as a reminder of when the parking expires. Disk parking operates outside the central zone and in some suburbs and many cities outside Dublin. Multi-story car parks (typical cost € 2.00 to 2.50/hr - some offering discounts for overnight use) are signposted along the parking routes with advance space availability indicators showing how many spaces are left in each park. These parking space availability displays are updated every minute. Some of these car parks payment machines accept Visa, MasterCard and Eurocard payments (eg Stephen's Green and Royal Surgeons). If you have recently rented a car in Dublin and have no Irish change to hand, follow the parking route signs to one of these car parks and use a credit card to pay.
You can also charge your on street car parking to your mobile phone account using mPark (registration required). Dublin downtown area parking space availability is available here.
Mobile phone payment of parking charges is also possible in Cork City using Park by phone
Call 1-800 29 39 49 (free incl. from payphones and mobiles) with
signposting suggestions, traffic signal fault reports, information on parked
vehicles causing congestion and traffic jams caused by roadworks.
The traffic information of the motoring organizations is broadcast in
English by RTE Radio 1 and 2 and most commercial radio stations. Call 1-850
542 542 to notify the traffic centre of any problems on the roads. Calls
charged at 9.5p each (ex VAT) irrespective of duration or whether you are
calling from a mobile or ordinary fixed line.
Fuel costs in Ireland are at about European average levels.
Fuel prices in Northern Ireland are similar to Britain.
Up to date Irish fuel prices -
note the prices in this website are quoted in EUR cents per litre(er). If you
wish to convert the price per liter into a price per US gallon for
comparison, multiply the cents per liter figure by 3.785. This will give you
the price in Euro cents per US gallon. You can get the current exchange rate for
the Irish Pound (Ireland) and Sterling (Northern Ireland)
here. Americans should bear
in mind that European cars tend to be more economical in terms of fuel.
Diesel cars tend to be even more economical still and diesel fuel is
cheaper.
When renting a car most car rental companies will require a drivers
license issued by the state you are normally resident in - and not an
"international driving license".
If you are taking up residence in Ireland from a state outside the European
Union and hold a drivers license issued by AUS, CH, FL, GBM, GBJ, GBZ, J, N,
KR and ZA you can exchange your foreign drivers license for an Irish license
without testing formalities.
*Applies to regular motor cars only. Other regulations apply to larger
vehicles.
Links:
An Garda Siochana
(National Police Service)
National Safety Council
National Roads Authority
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