Is it illegal to change a tyre on a motorway hard shoulder??

Paddy@CIRL

Another similar question - I spotted a member of AGS in an unmarked Ford Mondeo stopped on the hard shoulder south of Thomastown on the M9 southbound. Driver's door open, uniformed officer sitting out of the car using a speedgun on cars coming towards him. He was around 600M away from a designated 'Garda Cars Only' area.

There is no way in hell what he was doing was appropriate ?

Pkiernan

Marcin_diy wrote: »

Yes - it is very safe and intelligent to drive 10km/h on 120km/h motorway

Congratulations on getting your Learners Permit.

When you pass your test, and are allowed on the motorways you will observe a lane known as the "hard shoulder".

You can use this to get safely off the motorway to change your tyre.

Seth Brundle

Pkiernan wrote: »

Congratulations on getting your Learners Permit.

When you pass your test, and are allowed on the motorways you will observe a lane known as the "hard shoulder".

You can use this to get safely off the motorway to change your tyre.

The HS could never, ever be regarded as safe whether you are stopped or driving slowly. The only positive aspect about using the HS is that many Irish drivers won't be using lane 1!

slimjimmc

Philip Embarrassed Tourism wrote: »

I have done it and would do it again. Calling breakdown services for a puncture, you must be joking.

I really think peoples fear of the hardshoulder in a motorway is over exaggerated. Its no more dangerous than any other hard shoulder and I prefer it to walking on the side of the road with no HS which people are doing all day everyday up and down the country.

I cant believe peoples responses actually.



The chances of anything happening are tiny imo, Id risk it rather than ruin my tyre/rim.

Do you still think that?
http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/local/woman_s_lucky_escape_in_motorway_truck_smash_1_2571307

PS: somewhere under that truck is the debris of the emergency phone, lucky for the driver she wasn't using it at the time, only the concrete base remains.

Seth Brundle

slimjimmc wrote: »

Do you still think that?
http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/local/woman_s_lucky_escape_in_motorway_truck_smash_1_2571307

She parked there? :rolleyes:

Bruthal

Pkiernan wrote: »

The PROPER and INTELLIGENT thing to do is to drive slowly to the next exit, get off the motorway and then change your tyre.

It amazes me how incredibly stupid people can be, valuing some poxy rim over their own lives.

If you drive nice and easy you won't even damage your rim.

Any other course of action is basically retarded (that includes parking on the hard shoulder and waiting for the Guards).

This thread can be successfully concluded now.

So you would drive to the next exit if it was 20km away on a flat tyre, taking 1.5 to 2 hours? Sounds like a good INTELLIGENT idea.

I suppose if you have engine failure, the best course of action is to push the car to the next exit?

Bruthal

Pkiernan wrote: »

Congratulations on getting your Learners Permit.

When you pass your test, and are allowed on the motorways you will observe a lane known as the "hard shoulder".

You can use this to get safely off the motorway to change your tyre.

You must be having a laugh with these posts, the other poster was 100% right, it is just about no better driving in a hard shoulder at walking pace with a flat tyre than it is being stopped. Even driving 5km to the next exit will take between a half hour and an hour at very best.

And talking about the poster getting their learners permit? Sounds like someone should be re-evaluated for fitness to drive.

CiniO

Dovies wrote: »

My sister broke down on the M50. Think her timing belt went and she couldnt get across to the left hand lane and stopped in the middle lane. Hit her hazard lights. The amount of people flying past her flashing their lights and shouting at her - you think she had stopped for a fag or something!! :mad:

Eventually 2 cars stopped and guys got out and managed to push her car off the road so she could call the breakdown services. If they hadn't stopped to help who knows what would have happened.

In normal motorway traffic she should have no problems moving to the hard shoulder after breakdown - even from most right lane - as there should be no one overtaking her on the left side.

Unfortunately in Ireland this rule for some unknown reason doesn't work.

Bruthal

CiniO wrote: »

In normal motorway traffic she should have no problems moving to the hard shoulder after breakdown - even from most right lane - as there should be no one overtaking her on the left side.

Unfortunately in Ireland this rule for some unknown reason doesn't work.

If your timing belt goes there will be a fairly rapid slow down, so unless it was a very clear road it would be difficult enough to change across 2 lanes while free-wheeling, but the reality is when the engine stops running, there will be a time of wondering whats wrong etc, and the car still in gear with the engine now slowing the car quicker than it would if coasting.

Stinicker

I blew a tyre last year on the M8 up by Cashel, I was doing 150km/h and was in the overtaking lane when it blew, felt the rubber shredding and got her down to 100km/h before it went.

I drove off the hard shoulder onto the grass median and went to change the spare, the jack sank into the soft ground and failed to lift the car, rang my Breakdown cover off the insurance and they came out and changed the wheel.

I placed the warning triangle, donned the yellow hi vis vest and myself and passenger sat up on the timber fencing away from the Motorway waiting for the rescue truck. Two guys pulled in offering help which was really helpful if I was stuck.

Bruthal

Stinicker wrote: »

I blew a tyre last year on the M8 up by Cashel, I was doing 150km/h and was in the overtaking lane when it blew, felt the rubber shredding and got her down to 100km/h before it went.

I drove off the hard shoulder onto the grass median and went to change the spare, the jack sank into the soft ground and failed to lift the car, rang my Breakdown cover off the insurance and they came out and changed the wheel.

I placed the warning triangle, donned the yellow hi vis vest and myself and passenger sat up on the timber fencing away from the Motorway waiting for the rescue truck. Two guys pulled in offering help which was really helpful if I was stuck.

Maybe you could of borrowed one of the planks off the wood fence to put under the jack. Not that it would be extremely stable or anything.

slimjimmc

slimjimmc wrote: »

Do you still think that?
http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/local/woman_s_lucky_escape_in_motorway_truck_smash_1_2571307

PS: somewhere under that truck is the debris of the emergency phone, lucky for the driver she wasn't using it at the time, only the concrete base remains.

Well yes, something happening once or a small number of times in comparison to the traffic volume on motorways means that the chance of something going wrong is very small. Imo you are in more danger going about your daily business on the country's N roads than of getting hit in a hardshoulder of a motorway.

Stinicker

robbie7730 wrote: »

Maybe you could of borrowed one of the planks off the wood fence to put under the jack. Not that it would be extremely stable or anything.

The timber boards were screwed on, although I did scavenge up and down for about a minute looking for something. With the speed the cars were passing at and all the rubbernecking it was pretty dangerous situation.

If I drove the car out onto the hard-shoulder I could have done it myself, however I'd be literally a few feet from the driving lane as it was the right hand rear tyre that blew, thus my decision to drive off the tarmac entirely. When the Breakdown truck arrived he parked on the hard shoulder and it was well lit up and provided him with a shield from the traffic.

IvyTheTerrible

Philip Embarrassed Tourism wrote: »

Well yes, something happening once or a small number of times in comparison to the traffic volume on motorways means that the chance of something going wrong is very small. Imo you are in more danger going about your daily business on the country's N roads than of getting hit in a hardshoulder of a motorway.

Except that it's once or a small number of times relative to the number of cars parked in the hard shoulder, not the volume of traffic. Chances go way up then.

Marcin_diy

Pkiernan wrote: »

Congratulations on getting your Learners Permit.

When you pass your test, and are allowed on the motorways you will observe a lane known as the "hard shoulder".

You can use this to get safely off the motorway to change your tyre.

You have wrong information Pkiernan - I never had a learners permit. :)I had 20h driving on the roads with instructor, 30 h theory in a motor school, passed full exam, and got my driving licence. I don't really know what should I reply to you. Nobody is allowed to drive on the hard shoulder - if you don't understand this simple thing I'm not surprised that you wrote what you wrote in your previous post.What is safer thing to do ?change a flat tyre in 5 minutes, or drive for half an hour or an hour on restricted area? What if exit from the motorway has 500m and there is no hard shoulder? will you still drive 5-10km per h waiting for big truck to hit your back? have you ever drove on german Motorway with no speed limit? sometimes distance to the nearest exit, or petrol station is 50km - would you drive on hard shoulder for 5h ?

slinky2000

Question from the most recent Driver theory book: