Deaths on our roads

[Bosco]

Another weekend more lives lost on our roads.

Willie McKenna and Sarah Murtagh

R.I.P

[RedX]

Its very sad indeed..there is a pattern to a lot of the deaths and i am not sure if a lot can be done about it...a lot of deaths lately seem to be between 16-25 year olds and between 12am and 5am..can the guards police every country road around the country?..something needs to be done about boy racers in this country also..(not saying any of the latest deaths were boyracers)..

Anyway sorry if you knew any of the people that lost there lives last night..i will say a prayer for them..

[pete]

Sure didn't some 18 year old in Cork borrow a car (was he insured? him he have licence?) & kill himself by wrapping the car around a pole outside Ballincollig in the middle of the night last week.

Guards can't prevent that.

No one should be allowed on the road on provisional licence unless under supervision.

Its time the guards enforced the display of L plates too.

Also time to think about a curfew for L plate drivers.

[Maz]

Another weekend more lives lost on our roads.

Willie McKenna and Sarah Murtagh

R.I.P

Also David Davis (16) in Longford
R.I.P

[Xlex]

heard of a stroy where a lad 3 months into his 17th year got his test and passed... a full licence at just over 17.


it's not about L plates and learner drivers, it's all about attitude and behaviour, not gardai or anything else...

[sligoman]

What about the elderly drivers on our roads? It's not just young fellas that cause accidents. Senior citizens are a BIG liability on the roads. I think once you reach the age of 65 you should have to take another test and if passed then it should be taken again every two years. OAP's are quite possibly the worst drivers on our roads, they just pull out in front of you with no warning. Fair enough, they dont speed but they go to the other extreme by barely moving,:mad: .

[Lionel Ritchie]

What about the elderly drivers on our roads? It's not just young fellas that cause accidents. Senior citizens are a BIG liability on the roads. I think once you reach the age of 65 you should have to take another test and if passed then it should be taken again every two years. OAP's are quite possibly the worst drivers on our roads, they just pull out in front of you with no warning. Fair enough, they dont speed but they go to the other extreme by barely moving,:mad: .

They've paid their road tax too Sligoman. I understand your frustration -believe me I do as I too find it frustrating to be stuck behind someone doing 35-40 in a 60 zone. But the law stipulates no minimum speed on those roads (nor should it in my opinion) so you just have to wait your turn to overtake. Frustration is not in itself an excuse for dangerous driving and it's not reasonable to transfer blame to someone who's acting within the terms of the laws.

In light of the kind of crashes we're hearing about more weekends than not I'm starting to come 'round to whoever had the idea for an L-driver curfew.

I know someone else said about a 17 year old with a full licence but they are in my experience very much the exception. Also - if we're going to test over 65's as frequently as an NCT I'd suggest your 17 year old should have to re-test at 19 or 20.

More to the point I'd suggest an outright ban on under-21's (even up as old as 26) being allowed drive anything above a 1.2L

[patsh]

Some worthy ideas here, but all a waste of time.

Why?
Because enforcement is what is needed, and thats simply not going to happen in this country.

[Peadar]

Because enforcement is what is needed, and thats simply not going to happen in this country.


Education is what's needed.
Everyone is up in arms if the government are seen to create a nanny state, yet everyone blames the gardai if kids are driving around the country like maniacs!
*Cue Macy barging in and blaming FF for everything! :rolleyes:

I don't think it will be too long before we see cars being tracked by GPS or similar. Keeping check at least on cars which young drivers are insured on.

[sylvo]

I think a set up like they have in America were kids are taught at school by professional instructors when they come up to 17 years of age.

Maybe the goverment could take the issue more serious by part funding projects like this instead of the heading off on junkets. :rolleyes: If things like this at least reduce the carnage on Irish roads a fraction then at least its worth it.

You can put as many tv ad's on during commercial breaks with anti drink driving messages or about general bad driving, but the fact of the matter is if people are set into a way of driving due to not having proper instruction and not being told whats right or wrong in their driving or indeed what the rules of the road are then sadly their not going to change.

Once when I was over a few years ago and got met off the bus by my cousin who had only sat behind the wheel of a car for the first time three days earlier, for gods sake its no wonder this sort of carnage is going on if this level of inexperiance on the roads is treated as acceptable.

The goverment should really back up what they have said about more testers and there should be more pressure put on provisional licence holders to take a full driving test.

[crc]

Also time to think about a curfew for L plate drivers.
Great idea, I'd say if you wrote a letter to the national newspapers you'd get a good response from the general public.

heard of a stroy where a lad 3 months into his 17th year got his test and passed This is just a pedantic point, but if someone is in their 17th year, they are 16 years old. Like when you are in your first year, you are 0 years old.

I don't agree with raising the age level (certainly not above 18), because that really would be unfair to a lot of people. Like you leave school and have to get a job, but you're not allowed to drive a car to get there.
What is needed is better driver education generally. Why don't they run tv ads telling people show courtesy to other drivers - like to turn on the headlights in poor visibility (including rain), not leave fog lights on (front or back) when there is no fog (this drives me insane, and its something the gards could enforce), or keep left on dual carriageways, or that driving past a queue of cars and forcing your way in at the last second is just plain wrong (you wouldn't do it at the post-office, so why in your car??), or telling people that going above 50km/h in an urban area is really frightening for pedestrians - things that let people know what its like to be on the receiving end of poor driving habits, not simply "if you're unlucky enough to get snared by this evil man with the radar gun, you'll get 3 penalty points"!

A more complete test (including bits on driving psychology - i.e. why the laws are there, not simply "here are the laws, please rote-learn them") coupled with an L-plate curfew would go a long way to reducing this automotive suicide / manslaughter.

[paul_oshea]

lads inexperienced drivers on pro v's arent necesarrily the cause, its those that drive recklessly at reckless speeds that are. unfortunately no matter what way you think will work, at the end of the day its all irrelevant, you need to decommision the mindset of fast drivers,to learn to be more careful and slow down, they arent just young drivers either.

again better roads would prevent alot of this. but seeing as that isnt the case i think the only way is having an outright ban on L drivers after a certain time like pete said is the (only) most obvious short term plan.

at the end of the day, adds do nothing as has been proven, just last weekend for example.

[superfrank]

I was out in Newbridge yesterday and after seeing the "Welcome to Kildare" sign there was that one that says how many people have died in the last four years and I'm pretty sure it was 90. I'm also pretty sure that someone told me later it's the highest rate in Ireland.

I can't be a 100% sure cos I was at a family "function" and I had a few drinks. :o

[Risteard]

Two Cork cases were one in car 'borrowed' from his buddy.
I know the car in question.
Twas a bit of a souped-up wagon.
Apparently he tried a u-turn out near South Link in Ballincollig.

I know more about the second incident on the Monahan road.
These 3 fellas stole one car earlier and it ran out of petrol (faith lending a hand).
Gave it a second go and just about succeeded in killing the front passenger and critically injuring the driver.
The loyal :rolleyes: friend in the back was able to attempt a run-off.
No offence to anyone reading but fair play to them.
Thoroughly deserved.
Sorry for the attitude but that is how i feel like.

I'm sure anyone who's suffered in any way from accidents such as those ye've posted above would feel the same for such thoughtless young fellas.
No respect for life.
:(

[sligoman]

No offence to anyone reading but fair play to them.
Thoroughly deserved.
Sorry for the attitude but that is how i feel like.

I'm sure anyone who's suffered in any way from accidents such as those ye've posted above would feel the same for such thoughtless young fellas.
No respect for life.
:(

I totally agree with you Risteard, it's just a pity two of the ****ers survived. Little ****es! :mad: