The driver of a van was brought to a halt by Gardaí in Naas over the weekend after being clocked over the speed limit on the M7 on Saturday (October 1).

The vehicle in question was found to be travelling at a speed of 130km/h – some 50km/h over the permitted speed limit for cars and vans that are towing trailers.

Gardaí arrested the driver and he was charged with dangerous driving with a court appearance to follow.

The van and trailer were also seized by Gardaí.

Taking to Twitter, An Garda Síochána said:

“Naas RPU (Roads Policing Unit) stopped a van towing a loaded trailer, which was travelling at a speed of 130km/h in torrential rain on the M7 yesterday.

“Vehicles towing trailers are restricted to a max speed of 80km/h.

“Driver arrested and charged with dangerous driving, to appear in court.”

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has issued a warning to road-users towing trailers.

“Remember that the maximum speed limit for a vehicle towing a trailer is 80km/h – and this also applies on roads where the posted road sign speed limit is higher,” it said.

“As always, drivers are subject to the lowest posted speed sign so it will not always be possible to travel at 80km/h,” the RSA added.

“Remember that your vehicle will handle differently when you’re towing a trailer, especially when the trailer is loaded. Therefore, you need to take special care and drive more defensively, anticipating the effect of the trailer.

“For example, you need to ask yourself has your stopping distance increased – in most cases, the answer will be yes,” the RSA concluded.