Death crash at Rathcoole on the N7

Crazy Taxi

Not sure if this is the proper place for this thread,
I don't know the circumstances of the latest crash which killed the driver of one car and left a number of passengers in a serious condition but judging from the stains on the road outside the petrol station I have to ask the question,

Does the location of this station play a part in the safety of this stretch of dual carriageway (it's not far short of M-way status).

The station is located just around a bend in the road and was built in a time when the N7 was a completely different animal altogether and traffic in general moved at a slower pace.

I use this station a fair bit and I've seen motorists exiting the station using the entrance or driving straight out to the L/H lane (or even worse, the centre lane) before starting to accelerate, there is an exit lane from the station which gives you time to get your car up to 70-100Kph before joining the main flow of traffic so maybe the station needs to do more to assist motorists in this respect.

This station was re-developed a few years back which actually moved the exit closer (maybe 50mtrs?) to the bend in the road and I wonder now if that was such a good idea. As I said, I don't know if the station was a factor in the recent crash but it makes you wonder. Love to hear from any AGS who have thoughts on this.

smokingman

From the reports I saw, the crash involved someone driving the wrong way up the N7 and it was the person in the other car that was killed.

thebullkf

Crazy Taxi wrote: »

Not sure if this is the proper place for this thread,
I don't know the circumstances of the latest crash which killed the driver of one car and left a number of passengers in a serious condition but judging from the stains on the road outside the petrol station I have to ask the question,

Does the location of this station play a part in the safety of this stretch of dual carriageway (it's not far short of M-way status).

The station is located just around a bend in the road and was built in a time when the N7 was a completely different animal altogether and traffic in general moved at a slower pace.

I use this station a fair bit and I've seen motorists exiting the station using the entrance or driving straight out to the L/H lane (or even worse, the centre lane) before starting to accelerate, there is an exit lane from the station which gives you time to get your car up to 70-100Kph before joining the main flow of traffic so maybe the station needs to do more to assist motorists in this respect.

This station was re-developed a few years back which actually moved the exit closer (maybe 50mtrs?) to the bend in the road and I wonder now if that was such a good idea. As I said, I don't know if the station was a factor in the recent crash but it makes you wonder. Love to hear from any AGS who have thoughts on this.

used that road on/off for over 10 years...iknow what your talking about when you say the road has changed....
people need to slow the hell down and pay attention.the garage has cctv.
anybody leaving via the entrrance should be fined. heavily, and given PP's.

as in most accidents,its human error:(

Millie1111

None of you guys knows the full story so you have no right to say one driver was going the wrong way what has happened is for the gaurds and both families to deal with so dont speculate when u dont know the full story behind this.

Ste.phen

Millie1111 wrote: »

None of you guys knows the full story so you have no right to say one driver was going the wrong way what has happened is for the gaurds and both families to deal with so dont speculate when u dont know the full story behind this.

Have you some involvement with one of the parties involved in the collision which you'd like to share?

Heroditas

Millie1111 wrote: »

None of you guys knows the full story so you have no right to say one driver was going the wrong way what has happened is for the gaurds and both families to deal with so dont speculate when u dont know the full story behind this.

It was reported in several of the newspapers that one of the drivers was going in the wrong direction.
It would be unlike the papers, even the tabloid rags, to make a statement like that unless they'd got the information or permission from the cops.

foggy_lad

Heroditas wrote: »

It was reported in several of the newspapers that one of the drivers was going in the wrong direction.
It would be unlike the papers, even the tabloid rags, to make a statement like that unless they'd got the information or permission from the cops.

papers will make stuff up to suit themselves and regularly get details of assaults and incidents wrong.

a tragic incident is just that especially when a life has been lost and it is not for us or any newspaper to apportion blame.

Milan Cobian

I passed going in the opposite direction shortly after it happened. One of the cars was upside down, resting before the garage so it seems unlikely the garage was a factor. I couldn't see where the other one was, there were several Garda cars and fire trucks obscuring the scene.
I think the results of Garda technical investigations into accidents should be made public, in order to teach lessons.

Crazy Taxi

Milan Cobian wrote: »

I passed going in the opposite direction shortly after it happened. One of the cars was upside down, resting before the garage so it seems unlikely the garage was a factor. I couldn't see where the other one was, there were several Garda cars and fire trucks obscuring the scene.
I think the results of Garda technical investigations into accidents should be made public, in order to teach lessons.

Well, actually, the heavy staining was across the lanes directly outside the exit of garage and lighter staining towards the entrance with a good bit of staining in between, could be unrelated I suppose.

AlekSmart

I think the results of Garda technical investigations into accidents should be made public, in order to teach lessons.

A big +1 to that Milan Cobain.

For some time now our major accident scenes have been sealed off for technical evaluation,yet we rarely hear of the final adjudication as to the causitive factors of it.

There is indeed an urgent need for a far more readily available and even publicised issuing of such reports.....but then again,oerhaps by doing so would place a far greater focus on issues other than the architypal "drunken driver" or "speeeding driver".

Munurty

Milan Cobian wrote: »

I think the results of Garda technical investigations into accidents should be made public, in order to teach lessons.

I completely agree. This has been on my mind for a long time. I think educating drivers on the hard facts would be an eye opener and help change drivers attitudes.

The aviation industry goes into great detail to investigate incidents and makes them public.

http://www.aaiu.ie/

The only down side would be for bereaved families and surviving parties living with blame.

Millie1111

Ste.phen wrote: »

Have you some involvement with one of the parties involved in the collision which you'd like to share?

yes i do

liogairmhordain

Munurty wrote: »

I completely agree. This has been on my mind for a long time. I think educating drivers on the hard facts would be an eye opener and help change drivers attitudes.

The aviation industry goes into great detail to investigate incidents and makes them public.

http://www.aaiu.ie/

The only down side would be for bereaved families and surviving parties living with blame.

+1
every fatal road accident should be the subject of a public report along the lines of those done for every maritime accident - see http://www.mcib.ie/reports/

mikemac

Definitely.
A public enquiry with a public result.

Remember those lads in Monaghan in 2007/2008 that played chicken with another car and died.
Now that that was called a tragic loss. Even the parish priest agreed. But realy, you race a car at speed with drink taken it's practically suicide,

Every serious accident should be published in a national paper. Names, locations, speeds, mistakes will all be published.
People will read and learn.

And not speed on a road, crash and die and have the family turn and around and blame the county council

Not

I have seen once a car come out of one of those garages on the Naas Road and turn the wrong way. Maybe not what happened in this case, but these garages do pose this danger.

Also, I think they should either not be there or have much better, proper filter lanes seperated by barriers so that traffic cannot just drive straight out into the driving lanes. I drive that road very regularly. Passing any of those garages in the nearest lane is just playing russian roulette as cars frequently turn straight out point blank into the paths of cars passing at 100k, it has happened to me many times. A few days ago, passing one futher down, I couldn't move out to the middle lane, so had to take a gamble and pass it in the nearside lane - that nearly cost me my life as when I was passing (actually passing) it a fr|gging artic lorry decided to come out of one of the exits and swing straight into my lane en route to the filter lane :mad: - I dont think I have ever stopped quicker. And some people wonder why traffic is loathe to use the nearside lane on the Naas Road..

Even the ramp that you have to go down to get back on to the main road after leaving the Tootinghill (sp?) Hill garage I dont think is good enough as when you get down to tghe bottom of it you find its an immediate merge rather than a filter lane merge - but at least then you should have some good speed up.

I dont know what time that accident happened, but I got stuck in the traffic jam at Rathcoole at 11:30 am that morning. I realise that the road must have been closed for the investigation, but for Gods sake, what about some advance warning signs or diversion signs....?? Particularily as it was the main artery out of Dublin to the Curragh Racecourse on a race day (not that I was going there, but I'm sure a good few others stuck around me where)

Jaych1000

Milan Cobian wrote: »

I passed going in the opposite direction shortly after it happened. One of the cars was upside down

I was at the scene at around 2AM that night and there was one car upside-down as you said. It was about 50 metres before the garage. The other car was just outside the exit of the garage.

Chris_5339762

Its been bad this week on the N7, first this, then the overturned truck on the M50/N7 junction and at least an 8km tailback on the N7 inbound this morning after a 5 car pileup.

Jaych1000

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

at least an 8km tailback on the N7 inbound this morning after a 5 car pileup.

That was horrible. Just about got into work.
Didn't know that many cars were involved.
I only saw 2. Most of the traffic was from nosey passers-by :P

Not

Jaych1000 wrote: »

That was horrible. Just about got into work.
Didn't know that many cars were involved.
I only saw 2. Most of the traffic was from nosey passers-by :P

Including two stupid eejits in front of me when I was passing by the other way who stood on their brakes from 100k in order to jawp at a near standstill from the nearside and middle lanes... :rolleyes:

dublinhead

Planning permission has been approved to improve this junction at the Esso garage on the naas rd, rathcoole . Unfortunatly to late in this case.

http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=144&regref=SD10A/0223&type=apps&dateoptions=any&area=Any&keywordtype=location&term=rathcoole