Motorway safety campaign launched

Amtmann

Over 100 people have died or been seriously injured on Irish motorways since 2005, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said today.

Last year saw eight fatalities, including four pedestrians, on motorways. Six people have died on Irish motorways so far this year.

In a bid to cut the number of deaths, the authority today launched a new awareness campaign to highlight safety and best practise on the roads.

Speaking at today’s launch, chief executive Noel Brett said pedestrians are a “massive risk” on a motorway. They are not only a danger to themselves, but they also put other road users in danger.

Mr Brett also said drivers who stop on motorways can cause collisions adding that its “unsafe and an offence”.

The new campaign, run in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, the National Roads Authority and the Automobile Association, will see a 40 second TV advert to raise awareness of the rules of the road and safety issues on motorways.

It will focus on lane merging, lane discipline on three lane motorways, overtaking, breakdowns, and will remind the public never to walk on a motorway.

Mr Brett said all road users need to respect the motorway network and “take responsibility for their actions, their lives and the lives of all road users”.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar added that it is a “major concern” that so many people are being killed in motorway crashes.

“We’re asking everyone today to please use motorways safely and respect the motorway network…doing so could save your life and the lives of other road users,” he added.

AA Ireland’s Conor Faughnan said while Ireland’s 1,187km of motorway network are statistically “extremely safe”, this does not mean there is no danger.

An increase in the number of motorway breakdown means “ever greater exposure to danger for drivers and their passengers,” he added.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0411/breaking33.html

wellbutty

Fantastic to see that this much-needed campaign is about to happen.

Will it use the shock approach?

Zubeneschamali

Very pleased that there's no focus on speeding, these are all real problems:

lane merging, lane discipline on three lane motorways, overtaking, breakdowns, and will remind the public never to walk on a motorway.

I'd add stopping to answer the phone, stopping to take a leak, using your lights and not diving headlong into impenetrable fog.

KevR

Article from RTÉ:

RT&#201 wrote: »

Motorway safety campaign launched

The Road Safety Authority has launched a campaign to make people aware of the dangers of driving, stopping and walking on motorways.

Almost 100 people have been killed or seriously injured on Irish motorways in the past five years as the Irish motorway network has grown.

Between 2009 and 2010 the number of car users seriously injured on motorways trebled.

Last year, 20% of those killed on motorways were pedestrians.

The National Roads Authority says that on a new stretch of road in Limerick, around 30 motorists a month are driving the wrong way down the motorway.

In the first three months of this year, gardaí issued 69 people with penalty points for this kind of offence.

Almost 700 people have been given points for driving on the hard shoulder.

Last year, the AA also saw a 60% increase in the number of members who broke down on motorways.

A new 40-second advertisement to promote the dangers of motorways will begin appearing on television today and warns people never to stop or walk on a motorway.

The RSA has also appealed to people to take better care when driving on these roads, particularly in poor conditions.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0411/roads.html


WTF @ the bit in bold

antoobrien

lane discipline on three lane motorways

Considering the vast majority of m/way is 2 lane I'd rather they concentrate on lane discipline for 2-lane m/way for fear that people will think it only applies to 3 lane roads.

Saying that I do sympathize with the emphasis on 3 lanes, I despair of driving the M50 or Nass road - it's hard to use the left lane when you can't get out of it due to the traffic outside you going slower than you.

antoobrien

Mostly the same for eircom.net but i really cringe for this bit:

Cork-based AA Patrol member Noel Nedham saids: "I recently attended one motorist who reversed back up the motorway on a punctured wheel in the pitch black to get to the nearest exit.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not only did he commit an offence, he also posed a massive risk to himself and other drivers."

If it wasn't so bloody serious you'd laugh at the stupidity.

dubhthach

KevR wrote: »

WTF @ the bit in bold

Indeed that's an average of one such incident a day :eek:

Owenw

They had a bit on the Six-One news about this. CCTV footage of people driving against the traffic, reversing up the hard shoulders to a missed junction etc.

Worst thing IMO was someone pulling a 3-point-turn in front of 120kmh traffic. Cars had to come to a complete stop as this "driver" was straddling the entire carriageway sideways. :eek: :mad:

Amtmann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q58gwYIbjhA

whyulittle

And a great big photo of Northern Ireland's A1 motorway behind Sharon!

murphaph

Owenw wrote: »

They had a bit on the Six-One news about this. CCTV footage of people driving against the traffic, reversing up the hard shoulders to a missed junction etc.

Worst thing IMO was someone pulling a 3-point-turn in front of 120kmh traffic. Cars had to come to a complete stop as this "driver" was straddling the entire carriageway sideways. :eek: :mad:

Yeah that was shocking. Tbh that should be a disqualification right there, every bit as dangerous (arguably more so) than hopping behind the wheel with 3 or 4 pints drunk.

murphaph

whyulittle wrote: »

And a great big photo of Northern Ireland's A1 motorway behind Sharon!

Not even a motorway

Cookiemunster

Owenw wrote: »

Worst thing IMO was someone pulling a 3-point-turn in front of 120kmh traffic. Cars had to come to a complete stop as this "driver" was straddling the entire carriageway sideways. :eek: :mad:

That's just before the toll booths at the Limerick tunnel (I recognise the "artwork" on the other side of the road. The idiot obviously didn't want to pay the toll. Thing is he'd have had to do another 3 point turn at the junction he missed as it a restricted junction or go about 4km against traffic to go up the next junction the wrong way. Shocking.
People who drive like this should be out off the road not given PPs and allowed to drive away.

loyatemu

I wonder is this the junction in LMK they're talking about: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69024482

Tech3

loyatemu wrote: »

I wonder is this the junction in LMK they're talking about: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69024482

Thats not in Limerick though, I believe thats the junction for Roscrea on the M7?

antoobrien

On that RTE report it was pointed out that more experienced drivers would need to be educated on the use of motorways (presumably newer drivers have had some theoretical training).

This comment highlights the ridiculous situation we have here that a license is for life. Everyone should be retested on renewal - waiting times are lower than they ever have been, so that's no longer an excuse - and people who have had bans should only be given a shorter term license (no more than half the normal license term). I also think that the term of the license should be reduced to 5 years anyways.

Amtmann

Some bizarre images of a moron driving moronically here.

ardmacha

This comment highlights the ridiculous situation we have here that a license is for life.

It would useful in the short term to bring a rules of the road test when licences are renewed every 10 years. This would be fairly easy to organise when compared to a road test and I see no reason not to require it within a year.

Brabus

antoobrien wrote: »

On that RTE report it was pointed out that more experienced drivers would need to be educated on the use of motorways (presumably newer drivers have had some theoretical training).

This comment highlights the ridiculous situation we have here that a license is for life. Everyone should be retested on renewal - waiting times are lower than they ever have been, so that's no longer an excuse - and people who have had bans should only be given a shorter term license (no more than half the normal license term). I also think that the term of the license should be reduced to 5 years anyways.

I think the time for this is near at hand, granted it will cause uproar.

Our standard of driving in this country is still remarkedly poor.

galwegians

speed on the motorway needs to be addessed, i was doing 120 kmh from galway to athlone on my motorbike obeying the speed limits, when a hearse with a coffin in the back passed me before the athenry exit, he left me sitting he had to be doing at least 160/170 kmh,
pure madness.
and the fella in the back definitly was in no hurry.

muchos04

It's those ridiculous junctions in motorways in ireland which cause accidents eg on the Tulla exit on m18. If you want to go to Galway you have to go around a roundabout and then turn left onto a motorway! Sheer lunacy! Turn onto a 120 kph lane! In the UK all motorways have merging lanes where cars can get up to speed but no not in Ireland as that would make too much sense!

Zubeneschamali

galwegians wrote: »

speed on the motorway needs to be addessed

I don't think so. The open motorways in good conditions are safe well above the current limit.

I was cruising East near the toll at Cappataggle on the M6 at 125 kph yesterday when a traffic corps Mondeo zipped by doing about 180, without even blue lights or sirens on. No drama at all.

angelfire9

muchos04 wrote: »

It's those ridiculous junctions in motorways in ireland which cause accidents eg on the Tulla exit on m18. If you want to go to Galway you have to go around a roundabout and then turn left onto a motorway! Sheer lunacy! Turn onto a 120 kph lane! In the UK all motorways have merging lanes where cars can get up to speed but no not in Ireland as that would make too much sense!

Its not as bad as you paint it to be IMHO
You go around the roundabout take the last exit for Galway and go down a slip road before you join the motorway and you have a good view of oncoming traffic when you do get to the bottom of the hill so unless your a looper you should wait for a break in traffic to join the road

My big problem with the M18 is the lack of signs stating that your on a motorway
Like the "motorway ahead" signs shown here:
http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/understanding-traffic-signs/motorway-signs.html


There are no signs on the M18 as far as I know listing what is and isn't permitted on the motorway i.e. learner drivers, vehicles under 50cc etc etc

AND there are no actual signs coming off the ennis bypass on to the M18 to tell you that you are entering a motorway (although the blue traffic signs on exits should give you a hint)

And there are very few if any signs on the junctions saying "wrong way turn back"

AugustusMinimus

galwegians wrote: »

speed on the motorway needs to be addessed, i was doing 120 kmh from galway to athlone on my motorbike obeying the speed limits, when a hearse with a coffin in the back passed me before the athenry exit, he left me sitting he had to be doing at least 160/170 kmh,
pure madness.
and the fella in the back definitly was in no hurry.

There's no issue with speed on motorways in Ireland. Motorways in Ireland have a design limit of 160kph.

Cookie_Monster

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

There's no issue with speed on motorways in Ireland. Motorways in Ireland have a design limit of 160kph.

so the issue is the limit is too low then

Chris_5339762

muchos04 wrote: »

It's those ridiculous junctions in motorways in ireland which cause accidents eg on the Tulla exit on m18. If you want to go to Galway you have to go around a roundabout and then turn left onto a motorway! Sheer lunacy! Turn onto a 120 kph lane! In the UK all motorways have merging lanes where cars can get up to speed but no not in Ireland as that would make too much sense!

Nonsense. All MOTORWAYS do but there are tonnes of 70mph dual carriageways in the UK with far worse junctions than the M18.

veryangryman

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Nonsense. All MOTORWAYS do but there are tonnes of 70mph dual carriageways in the UK with far worse junctions than the M18.

In fairness Chris, he did mention motorways as opposed to DCs. Pedantic Pat here i know but his point is hardly nonsense

Owenw

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

so the issue is the average drivers IQ is too low then

Fixed that for you

sonyair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK9-Ikcu0sY

driver saved the life of that driver instead of the load

AugustusMinimus

sonyair wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK9-Ikcu0sY

driver saved the life of that driver instead of the load

Very brave thing to do in fairness.

The easy thing to have done would just kept driving straight. He could easily have been killed himself.

Chris_5339762

Thats some reaction time you gotta say.

Empire o de Sun

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

There's no issue with speed on motorways in Ireland. Motorways in Ireland have a design limit of 160kph.

That's some urban myth. I've never come across that. The design speed is 120 km/h. And was always so, even when the speed limit was 70 mph or 113 km/h.

Amtmann

I don't think we've ever been able to find a reliable reference for the 160km/h figure.

AugustusMinimus

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

That's some urban myth. I've never come across that. The design speed is 120 km/h. And was always so, even when the speed limit was 70 mph or 113 km/h.

OK. But what required changes to motorways would be needed to increase it to a design limit of 130kph which is standard in a lot of European countries ?

Cookie_Monster

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

That's some urban myth. I've never come across that. The design speed is 120 km/h. And was always so, even when the speed limit was 70 mph or 113 km/h.

the design speed cannot be 120 as safety margins would not allow it. Every engineering project will have minimum margins built in, usually 25-50% when the public are involved. If the design speed was only 120 then you wouldn't be able to easily negotiated corners at 160 on motorways for example as the banking would be all wrong and you'd drift out of the lanes.

NFD100

Badly needed!!! Driving northbound today on M50. Woman in car pulled up in hard shoulder, in car, no hazards on. Applying make up in vanity mirror. I nearly crashed from the shock!!!!!!!!