Road-Users in Kerry

kerry4sam

I posted my quote below over in the Killarney thread but felt it need a thread of its’ own. I would like people to post here any dangerous or crazy road-users that have descended on our roads here in Kerry please. Let people read about some of their fellow road-users and what risks those drivers feel they need to take out there & to remind people to always, always, be alert & observant, anticipate and notice what's going on around you and to plan forward should the unexpected happen out there.

“I have been through 6check-points in 4-weeks down here in Kerry. I was waved through two with nothing checked, had NCT/Tax/Insurance checked on 4 and breathalysed on the other with my licence checked but no NCT/Tax/Insurance. Sur, give a read through the Kingdom and you'll see the work of AGS paying off here. Their is some crazy, seriously mad driving going on on the roads of Kerry that has left me speechless on numerous occasions. I for one am delighted at the numbers of checks going on.

So go out, have a great time, but designate a driver, here here. I cannot highlight this enough folks. Seriously, slow down on the roads & stop taking unnecessary risks. What is the honest to God rush? Mad driving on the roads of Kerry of late! Has to stop!”

carchaeologist

I always think of this quote when i read something like this..
"Speed has never killed anyone,its the sudden stop thats the problem" Jeremy Clarkson.

Were all those checks in killarney Sam?
Im probably tempting fate here:rolleyes:,but there doesnt seem to be that much checking in the tralee area.Or am i wrong?

Being tired at the wheel is another problem that doesnt get adressed much and should be.Drink driving isnt the massive problem that its made out to be.

kerry4sam

carchaeologist wrote: »

I always think of this quote when i read something like this..
"Speed has never killed anyone,its the sudden stop thats the problem" Jeremy Clarkson.

Were all those checks in killarney Sam?
Im probably tempting fate here:rolleyes:,but there doesnt seem to be that much checking in the tralee area.Or am i wrong?

Being tired at the wheel is another problem that doesnt get adressed much and should be.Drink driving isnt the massive problem that its made out to be.

I like that quote carchaeologist.

I should say that I love to drive and travel on the main roads, back-roads and bothrìns of Kerry over and over with friends. It never fails to surprise me that some people out there do not know the rules of the road particularly with speed. The speed limits are the MAX speed allowed, not necessary to reach, and no they are not to be surpassed regardless of what your friend in the car is telling you!

Carchaeologist not all those checks were in Killarney. I do agree about the lack of checks in Tralee though. That’s something that should be addressed I think.

One example of Dangerous Driving:-
Enroute back to Killarney from Tralee one day I see in my mirror a red-Fiat overtake 5, yes 5, cars over-passing the full-white line on the bend heading down-hill into Brennans’ Glen. They passed 2more before me and a convoy of 3infront of me driving straight into the path of a car coming against them. That car slammed on the breaks before pulling into hard-shoulder along with the lead-driver in the convoy directly infront of me. Their could very easily have been a pile-up! This said driver saw nothing wrong and kept speeding on toward Killarney.
By the time I reached Madams’ Hill, that red-fiat was only 4-cars infront of me going no-where due to traffic-jam right into the Tralee road round-about!
My God like, the danger and threat to safety they caused with their incessant need for speed approaching town is just one example of what I have seen down here on the roads of Kerry lately :mad:

overexcitedaj

as with everything it all with education. In Ireland you have to drive properly for one day of your life ( the test) and you a fully liscned driver.
If people where educated better on the consequences of speeding and lack of attention at the wheel it might be slightly better.
this problem exists all over the country. When i lived there i drove all over and constantly came across lunatics, not only putting their life in danger, but mine and my passengers.
There should really be a more extensive training programme to obtain a lisence with a minimum amount of driving lessons needed and mandatory road side first aid course. stuff along those lines

dmeehan

where are all these road blocks in Killarney?
I have seen only 2 or 3 on the bypass and 1 drink-driving stop on Park road last xmas in the 6 years I have been living in Killarney

The only place I usually see the Gardaí in Killarney is double parked outside Bombay Palace whilst waiting for their dinner

ejmaztec

dmeehan wrote: »

where are all these road blocks in Killarney?
I have seen only 2 or 3 on the bypass and 1 drink-driving stop on Park road last xmas in the 6 years I have been living in Killarney

The only place I usually see the Gardaí in Killarney is double parked outside Bombay Palace whilst waiting for their dinner

That's the gourmet rapid reaction squad.

Oliverdog

ejmaztec wrote: »

That's the gourmet rapid reaction squad.

Good thread Sam, thanks for posting it. I did hear this week that the legal limit of alcohol in the bloodstream was being reduced. Publicans in the Killorglin area were bemoaning the likely damage to business.

On the subject of food-related motoring offences (and that's a subject not discussed every day !) the man flogging vegetables in the cycle lane near the Europe Hotel, although contributing to 5-a-day healthy eating, might be said to be causing an obstruction.

And, at the roundabouts on the ring road, quite a few motorists, when going straight on, signal left approaching the roundabout, right as they enter it, and left again as they exit it. This is very strange and confusing behaviour, and not exclusive to Killarney or even Ireland.

kerry4sam

dmeehan wrote: »

where are all these road blocks in Killarney?
I have seen only 2 or 3 on the bypass and 1 drink-driving stop on Park road last xmas in the 6 years I have been living in Killarney

The only place I usually see the Gardaí in Killarney is double parked outside Bombay Palace whilst waiting for their dinner

They weren't all in Killarney. How do you know that it is their dinner and they are not collecting the food for someone up in the cells for the night?

Not just aiming this at you dmeehan but : I read somewhere and I think it important to mention, Just because you don't see AnGardaSiochana does not mean that they haven't seen you driving.

Some food for thought & worth remembering I think :pac:

kerry4sam

Oliverdog wrote: »

Good thread Sam, thanks for posting it. I did hear this week that the legal limit of alcohol in the bloodstream was being reduced. Publicans in the Killorglin area were bemoaning the likely damage to business.

On the subject of food-related motoring offences (and that's a subject not discussed every day !) the man flogging vegetables in the cycle lane near the Europe Hotel, although contributing to 5-a-day healthy eating, might be said to be causing an obstruction.

And, at the roundabouts on the ring road, quite a few motorists, when going straight on, signal left approaching the roundabout, right as they enter it, and left again as they exit it. This is very strange and confusing behaviour, and not exclusive to Killarney or even Ireland.

Yeah heard that too about the legal limit of alcohol being reduced and I am actually all for it being honest. I love driving and being designate-driver too and I have seen too much for my liking from drivers who drive after drinking that "one for the road" and just wanting to get home fast enough so as not to be caught! Where is the logic in that? I just don't know.

I think Killarney has every type of road-user known to man on its' roads. The strangest though I see is at round-abouts where some people just don't know what lane to actually be in, eventhough it is outlined and posted for people! and just driving over the actual round-about at both Casey's corner and at the end of Countess! Madness.

Oliverdog

Now here are some details of an accident that happened near us a few weeks ago. We live just off the country road from Killorglin to Cromane which was recently resurfaced by Kerry CoCo using the time-honoured tar and gravel method. As usual we had the signs showing cars throwing up gravel, and 20kph speed limit signs.
People often make the mistake of thinking these signs are to stop windscreen breakage, but of course just after the gravel goes down these surfaces can be skid-pans.
Sure enough, along came a Learner-driver (on her own), too fast, down the straight Cromane road. Seeing the road works, she braked hard, and just slid off into the left-hand drainage ditch, turning upside-down as she did so.
Thank God, she wasn't injured, but trapped and squealing her head off; a local farmer broke the back window to get her out, but then had to stick the tines of his forklift through both sets of windows to lift out the car. It wasn't much good after this.
This piece of driving was stupid on many levels, but it is quite a lesson that the signs put out are there for a very good reason.

oeb

Saw something odd this morning.

I was coming over to Tralee (From Killarney) as I do every morning, and their was a squad car parked on the Tralee Road roundabout (Near Lidl) with it's lights on. For about 100m in, the Tralee road was segmented into 4 lanes with cones and there was signs indicating "Census stop, pull over if requested".

As I came up to where my lane branched into two, the Garda standing there signalled for me to pull into the left lane. When I did as requested, a chap (civilian) approached my passenger window and asked me a couple of questions which he made note of in his clip board. He first asked where I was coming from, so I told him home in Killarney, he asked me to clarify this with what area in Killarney it was (Not full address). He asked where I was headed to (To which I replied Tralee) and he asked for what purpose (To which I replied work). He thanked me and moved on. He did not, as far as I could see, move into position where he could see my reg to take it down nor did he ask my name.

Being the dope that I am, I neglected to ask him what it was all about (while I had the opportunity), so I am instead asking all of you folks if you know anything about it =P

kerry4sam

oeb wrote: »

Saw something odd this morning.

I was coming over to Tralee (From Killarney) as I do every morning, and their was a squad car parked on the Tralee Road roundabout (Near Lidl) with it's lights on. For about 100m in, the Tralee road was segmented into 4 lanes with cones and there was signs indicating "Census stop, pull over if requested".

As I came up to where my lane branched into two, the Garda standing there signalled for me to pull into the left lane. When I did as requested, a chap (civilian) approached my passenger window and asked me a couple of questions which he made note of in his clip board. He first asked where I was coming from, so I told him home in Killarney, he asked me to clarify this with what area in Killarney it was (Not full address). He asked where I was headed to (To which I replied Tralee) and he asked for what purpose (To which I replied work). He thanked me and moved on. He did not, as far as I could see, move into position where he could see my reg to take it down nor did he ask my name.

Being the dope that I am, I neglected to ask him what it was all about (while I had the opportunity), so I am instead asking all of you folks if you know anything about it =P

Hey yeah my sister was one of those surveyors. They were recruited to survey people to see where they are coming from and going to and the purpose for their journey.

They are carrying out these surveys the length and breath of Ireland. Nothing odd or unusual about it. The Gardai there present with them are just checking the tax/insurance/NCT by people also whilst there. So long as everything is above board, no-one should have anything to worry about, should just answer the few questions and move along. They done this out on the Cork roads yesterday and are on this direction all day today.
Scheduled to finish today though.

kerry4sam

I hope everyone has a Safe Bank Holiday on the Roads of Kerry and beyond