An Garda Síochána paid €18 million to private operators of speed cameras last year, some €5 million more than it received in revenue from fines for speeding.
The figures were obtained by Irish MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú following a request under Freedom of Information laws.
She questioned why revenue from privately operated speed cameras fell by 15.9 per cent between 2023 and last year. Gardaí received €15.3 million in revenue from speeding fines in 2023, having paid private operators €13 million. This left a €2.3 million surplus.
An Garda Síochána paid out €13.4 million to private operators up to August 18th in 2025, but has not revealed how much revenue it has taken in for this period.
Gardaí refused to reveal why the revenue figure fell from almost €15.5 million in 2023 to €12.9 million last year, saying it was a “function of enforcement activity and driver compliance”. Therefore, this matter relates to operational policing activity and falls outside the scope of a Freedom of Information request to An Garda Síochána.
Dublin and Tipperary were the two highest-grossing counties for the speed vans in the period covered by the request, followed closely by Cork and Kildare.
Between January 2023 and early June 2025, €6.2 million was collected from motorists in Dublin, €3.3 million came from Tipperary, and €2.9 million was collected from Cork, with decreasing amounts for Kildare, Galway, Wicklow, Westmeath, Limerick, Mayo and Cavan/Monaghan.
Ms Ní Mhurchú, who is a member of the EU’s transport committee, has called for a greater concentration of speed vans at traffic-incident black spots and on rural roads where speeding dramatically affects road safety.
She estimated that 10 to 15 per cent of all crashes and 30 per cent of all fatal collisions across the EU are the result of speeding, or inappropriate speed.
Ms Ní Mhurchú welcomed an extra €9 million in funding for up to 100 new speed cameras to enhance road safety at the end of 2024, but said continual investment in new technology is needed to catch those who are flouting the law.
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She also called for smarter positioning of the current stock of speed vans to ensure they are placed in areas with the highest risk of road fatalities.
She also called for consideration of re-education courses as a judicial sanction for drivers who are repeatedly caught speeding.
An Garda Síochána has been contacted for comment.
Top 10 counties in Ireland for revenue generated by Garda speed vans from January 2023 to June 8th, 2025.
CountyTotal Revenue1Dublin€6,227,8402Tipperary€3,322,8803Cork€2,893,2004Kildare€2,514,0805Galway €1,916,6406Wicklow €1,758,4807Westmeath €1,742,0008Limerick €1,411,7609Mayo €1,385,44010Cavan/Monaghan €1,188,682