Driving

[Gareth]

Do you speed? I wanna see inside the mind of someone who gets into their car and goes hell for leather in their car, yet puts road deaths down to "bad driving" not speed. If everyone did 30 miles an hour, do you think we would have as much carnage? I have had a couple of very frustrating conversations where guys who drive at 120 miles an hour on roads and go up the back of other cars, bumper to bumper, who still claim if that car pushed the breaks they'd be able to avoid hitting them. The reality is your reaction times are lowered, and if you do lapse, as is only human, the faster the speed the more dramatic a second lapse can be!!

Now who gets into a car after a couple pints? I would really like to know what goes through your brains?

I think as a requirement to learning to drive, you have to go visit the National Rehabilation Hospital and see what speeding and drink driving does. For that extra 5 minutes at your destination, you speed, I hope its a bloody good five minutes. RANT OVER.

[dahamsta]

You're saying that the enormous quantity of bad drivers out there, created directly as a result of Ireland's wholly ineffective driver testing system, don't cause accidents?

adam

[Gareth]

No, I am saying that speed reduced your chances of reacting sufficiently, and drinking reduces your reaction time. Combine the two and you have a very lethal combo!!

I agree that our testing system is a joke, but its not the only factor. One thing we can do without waiting for Government changes, is to slow down and don't drive under any drink.

Would you not agree that if people didn't speed, or drink drive, than a large number of early morning, no other vehicle involved accidents would be reduced?

[Ringo]

No, I am saying that speed reduced your chances of reacting sufficiently, and drinking reduces your reaction time. Combine the two and you have a very lethal combo!!

I agree that our testing system is a joke, but its not the only factor. One thing we can do without waiting for Government changes, is to slow down and don't drive under any drink.

Would you not agree that if people didn't speed, or drink drive, than a large number of early morning, no other vehicle involved accidents would be reduced?

The fact you can get a provisional licence & get behind the wheel of a car and drive is a joke. You can fail your test & get straight back into your car & drive home. Speed is the biggest problem. Its down to individual drivers to slow down, you can't have a check point of every road in the country.

[Gareth]

I agree Ringo. Our testing system is insane. But as you said, you need to get everyone to act responsibly, but think about it, the same lads who apparently lit the oxegen tents alight are probably let drive. Its like giving a kid (a slow one at that) a real gun for a toy, and telling them not to pull the trigger. We are too light on offenders, and if you read 12 people were killed on the roads, and then you get into your car and drive like a loon, you are either very stupid or very selfish!!

I was driving yesterday on the road, and a car was behind me. There was a load of cars coming on my right, so what did he do. Passed me out on the left in the hard shoulder. Ironic thing was, the next lights a mile or two ahead, he was one ahead of me. He should have his license removed instantly. I got his reg if your wondering.

[Raheny Red]

Indeed, it's a complete joke alright. The other day my mate got his, passed the theory with 39/40, good man, passed the eye test, nice one, however, he has never he started the ignition in a car ffs!

[sligoman]

Indeed, it's a complete joke alright. The other day my mate got his, passed the theory with 39/40, good man, passed the eye test, nice one, however, he has never he started the ignition in a car ffs!

That's me. To think that I can actually go out and drive right now if I want(after I get insurance of course) is a joke. I got 38 out of 40 in my theory test, perfect vision in my eye test and I'm away but yet I know nothing about driving, only recently I found out which pedals were which.

I got his reg if your wondering.

and did you report him?

[Terry]

for me what would drastically reduce the amount of deaths on our roads wouldbe if the education system brought in driving classes for students in secondary schools like they have in america. An educated driver is a better option than one who learns from other peoples bad habbits

[Dr.Nightdub]

I'm saying this as somone who isn't a boy racer but still managed to clock up 6 points in the first year and a half after they came in so I've made a conscious effort over the last while to watch myself. Points ARE a deterrent once you've got a few, plus there's a incentive not to get any more in terms of insurance - next November, 2 of mine get knocked off so it'll save me €100, 2 more go in March so that's another €100.

All that being said, some of the limits set for particular stretches of road are just pure daft, especially the 50 km/h ones.

As for drink driving, I eventually stopped after a few too many times getting home and saying to myself "Sh1t, I shouldn't have done that." I think it was simply a matter of getting more responsible with age. Now I either leave the car at home altogether or just park it in Inchicore (on match nights) / multistorey in town (general nights out) and go back for it the next day.

One thing highlighted by the whole catalogue of single-vehicle crashes in the small hours is the impact that lack of public transport has. You almost never see these accidents happening in Dublin. I don't know why each county council doesn't just give out a leaflet each year with the car tax disc, showing what accidents have happened in that county in the last year, where and when they happened (and what time) who was killed and give the Garda reports including the estimated speed and whether (from the autopsy) the driver had been drinking. It'd be distressing for relatives, etc but it'd be worth it if it made people change their behaviour.

[pineapple stu]

The fact you can get a provisional licence & get behind the wheel of a car and drive is a joke. You can fail your test & get straight back into your car & drive home.

How are you supposed to practice enough to be good enough to get a full licence if you can't drive while on a provisional?

[sligoman]

How are you supposed to practice enough to be good enough to get a full licence if you can't drive while on a provisional?

You should be required by law to have a certain number of lessons with a registered instructor at least, in my opinion. What Ringo is saying is right, you can drive straight away without ever sitting behind the steering wheel in yer life. All you have to do is answer a few "rules of the road" questions in the Theory Test and away you go.

As for drink driving, I honestly believe it's the "older generation" that does this because of old habits etc. Yes young people are known for speeding but very few would actually drink and drive in my view.

[dahamsta]

You should be required by law to have a certain number of lessons with a registered instructor at least, in my opinion.

I concur.

[dahamsta]

I've added a poll to this thread. I dislike the suggestion that speeding is somehow dangerous by definition, hence the provision.

I strongly support the assertion that bad driving is the root cause of most accidents in this country btw. Speeding may be a cause in some cases, as a result of bad driving.

adam

[sligoman]

dahamsta in relation to the poll question(which I assume you added), how do you define "speeding with care"? Surely it's dangerous either way.

EDIT: Just saw yer reply but still confused as to how you can speed with care?.

[John83]

dahamsta in relation to the poll question(which I assume you added), how do you define "speeding with care"? Surely it's dangerous either way.

EDIT: Just saw yer reply but still confused as to how you can speed with care?.

Have to agree. I don't think the poll is very clear.

[dahamsta]

Gareth is of the opinion that speeding is dangerous by definition. I'm of the opinion that speeding is only dangerous when not done with due care and attention. The speeding driver that pays attention to the road around him or her is far safer than some of the ninnies I see around the place, checking themselves out in the mirror, looking directly at their passengers while they gossip, hanging their children and animals out of windows and sunroofs, etc.

Gareth is entitled to his opinion, but if he's going to start a thread with an assertion like that...

adam

[Macy]

You should be required by law to have a certain number of lessons with a registered instructor at least, in my opinion.

tbh, I'd be happy if they just enforced the law on being accompanied with a licenced driver. As it stands, anyone (even with a provisional licence) can become a driving instructor. The whole lesson thing is another Government cop out of their enforcement failure - I mean get people to comply with the current law before making it stricter (same as the zero tolerance of drink driving).

[Macy]

I would speed on some sections of road, but I think it's more to do with some inappropriate speed limits than my desire to speed (N11 in Kilmac would be prime example, and a Garda enforcement hotspot at that).

The irony as Gay Bryne was making his typically grating impassioned plea on Friday for everyone to slow down over the weekend, I was stuck behind a council truck gritting because of the state of the road. A bit of hot weather and the tar melts to the stage that it's like oil on the road. The solution is to put down loose material with no signage. Grit maybe a solution when it is actually melted but adds to the danger at night when it's cooler. Yet we're lead to believe speed is the problem not infrastructure. Incidentally, all that melted tar is either dead smooth (perfect for black ice come the frosts) or cut up so much that it's practically potholed already.

After that news item, we were treated to the campaign about just one drink. I forget how many multiples of the drink drive limit the vast majority of those caught drink driving are, but it is at least twice the limit. So Gaybo's quango's solution to the carnage is to concerntrate on people that are already compliant with the law?! Ridiculous. You have to get people down to just the one drink before getting people lower.

Finally we have enforcement system that, when they do bother, is only concerned with convictions not stopping accidents. We have Cullen on the last word spouting rubbish about penalty points issued when the only measure of enforcement is reducing the number of deaths. The whole focus is on prosecution (at the wrong times) rather than prevention. Hence the fish in a barrel speed traps in unmarked cars/ gards behind hedges, when they should be flagging the trap miles in advance and use only marked cars to actually slow people down.

Incidentally, taking Monday to Monday of the carnage on our roads, I've seen gards on traffic duty three times this week. All three have been doing people for driving in the bus lane. FFS.

[trevy]

Its easy to blame the government,Gay Byrne,gardai or whoever for the high death tolls on the road.But they are not the ones speeding on bad country roads,possibly under the influence of drink,drugs or too tired to drive or overtaking in crazy places.Also the fact there is so much money out there means nearly everyone over 19 has access to a car when even 10 years this wasn't usual.Its drivers and 90% of fatal accidents are due to driver 'error'.Now politicians are responsible for the driving testing fiasco,the fact that people can keep failing driving tests and can still drive and don't have to take lessons before they get behind the wheel.But at the end of the day the driver has to take responsibility for his or her own actions.

[wws]

ludicrous over taking and tail gating are the two id say that cause most collisions (in terms of non drunk driving)

I put it down to the general impatience and unpleasantness of ppl these days