GoSafe, the company that provides static and mobile speed camera services to the Garda, has seen revenues surge as new cameras have been rolled out. The firm’s payments from the Garda are expected to exceed €30 million this year.
The network of speed detection zones where the GoSafe cameras operate has increased significantly and the company gets to keep more than half the €160 fine paid by every motorist caught by the cameras.
Details for two cameras, in Co Mayo and Co Kilkenny, show they were raising €40,000 and €32,000 respectively in speeding fines revenue per week.
Last year, the Garda paid GoSafe a record €26 million for its services, up from €18 million in 2024 and double the €13 million it was paid in 2023.
RM Block
The main reason the revenue jumped so significantly last year was the addition of almost 100 new safety camera zones to the system run by GoSafe nationally. A further 390 new zones became operational at the start of this year, bringing the number of zones where GoSafe cameras operate up to 1,900, which should deliver another big increase in revenue.
In the period from 2021 to 2025, the GoSafe cameras generated speeding fines of €138 million. Of that, €85.7 million was paid by the Garda to GoSafe.
That means GoSafe is paid the equivalent of 62 per cent of all the fines it generated, or €99.20 of every €160 fine paid by a speeding motorist.
The Garda’s Office for Safety Camera Management is responsible for day-to-day management and oversight of traffic safety camera operations. According to a new report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), this includes “financial control, monitoring of operations, performance management, site approval, reporting and consultation”.
However, GoSafe, which is a private company, is contracted by the Garda to operate and manage the network of speed detection cameras across the country. GoSafe provides monitoring and survey equipment, vehicles and operators, all under the direction of the Garda.
In the C&AG’s report on the Accounts of the Public Services in 2025, one section relates to the cancellation of speeding fines after problems arose with how the camera systems at two locations had been set up.
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On the N17 in Co Mayo, while the camera was operating effectively, checks found it did not have a valid certification of calibration from December 20th, 2024, to February 12th last year. During that near eight-week period, 1,871 speeding detections were made by the camera, equating to €299,360 in fines revenue.
However, all the fines were revoked due to the technical problem and refunds were made to motorists who had already paid the €160 fine, or the increased rate of €240 that applies if the initial fine is not paid within 28 days.
A camera on the N25 in Co Kilkenny was also affected by a technical issue, with fixed charge notices sent to motorists incorrectly identifying the townland where the camera was located.
An examination established the problem related to any speeding offence detected during the period last year from May 30th to June 30th. During that time, the C&AG report reveals the camera had detected 914 speeding offences, generating fines of €146,240. The fines were revoked and refunds issued to 208 drivers who had already paid.
