Motorway Driving?

R.O.R

If we are counting, I'll add my stories:

Saw someone turn right at the end of the slip coming from the M1 (southbound) on to the M50 Southbound. Thankfully they were behind me and nothing coming. They did see the error of their ways and pulled U-Turn across the 2 lanes, and thankfully nothing was coming from the N32 for a while so they were OK.

Heading up to Belfast, saw someone on the opposite side of the motorway come up the slip on to the M1 (southbound) on the far side of Newry, who then turned right (again, watching in the rear view) and proceeded down the wrong side of the motorway. ROI reg on the front of a Micra.....

Turning on to the M50 (northbound) at Cherrywood, had to go around 2 vehicles that had met head on when a car drove back up that slip and collided with a LWB Transit.

All from last year, can't remember any before that in Ireland.

Atomic Pineapple

Is anyone else pretty shocked that the measures introduced to prevent this amount to a down-loadable booklet and a suggestion for people to get lessons on how to drive?

No proposals to introduce motorway driving as part of the test, to force people to get lessons on how to drive properly on motorways and dual carriageways, no proposal to increase the penalties or ways to catch this kind of driving, no proposal to have to take a test at every license renewal?

Next to no one will download the booklet let alone read it and no one who has a full license will go paying for driving lessons when they don't have to.

Why are we dumbing down drivers rather than educating them and having a high level of educated and responsible drivers on our roads?

Indricotherium

Is the much more common, diving across three lanes of traffic because you decided to pass someone 500m before an exit not a bigger problem than driving the wrong way given the frequency of the two.

Leonard Hofstadter

draffodx wrote: »

Is anyone else pretty shocked that the measures introduced to prevent this amount to a down-loadable booklet and a suggestion for people to get lessons on how to drive?

No proposals to introduce motorway driving as part of the test, to force people to get lessons on how to drive properly on motorways and dual carriageways, no proposal to increase the penalties or ways to catch this kind of driving, no proposal to have to take a test at every license renewal?

Next to no one will download the booklet let alone read it and no one who has a full license will go paying for driving lessons when they don't have to.

Why are we dumbing down drivers rather than educating them and having a high level of educated and responsible drivers on our roads?

All of those measures would require time and effort, plus the fact that young people have some clue of how to drive on a motorway, whereas it's the more grey haired generation that do that kind of stuff.

It is absolutely shocking that you can get five points for not having a valid NCT yet you can get only one point for driving down a motorway the wrong way:(!

MadsL

In fairness it is not just Ireland that this happens. I've just moved to the US and having driven on the right many times through Europe and also renting cars in the US, I'm pretty good about switching sides..I only set off on the wrong side once on a deserted road, before the oncoming lights woke me up...

My wife works by the airport however, cue a guy coming towards me in my overtaking lane of a three lane airport connection road to the interstate. Clearly just picked up the car - crazy thing was that despite everyone flashing and blasting him out of it, he was just smiling and shrugging and kept going!!

I don't think the US has adopted the 'Drive on the Right' signage yet

HeidiHeidi

Indricotherium wrote: »

Is the much more common, diving across three lanes of traffic because you decided to pass someone 500m before an exit not a bigger problem than driving the wrong way given the frequency of the two.

+1 - my motorway driving is mostly the M50 and it's scary how much of this goes on at high speeds.

I'm also very surprised at the sheer numbers of wrong-way driving incidents on motorways and roundabouts - you'd have to work pretty hard to make it onto the wrong side of the road/roundabout surely, with all the shaped islands/medians guiding you in the right direction

dudara

draffodx wrote: »

Is anyone else pretty shocked that the measures introduced to prevent this amount to a down-loadable booklet and a suggestion for people to get lessons on how to drive?

No proposals to introduce motorway driving as part of the test, to force people to get lessons on how to drive properly on motorways and dual carriageways, no proposal to increase the penalties or ways to catch this kind of driving, no proposal to have to take a test at every license renewal?

Next to no one will download the booklet let alone read it and no one who has a full license will go paying for driving lessons when they don't have to.

Why are we dumbing down drivers rather than educating them and having a high level of educated and responsible drivers on our roads?

Ah shure, that would involve actual work from the Gardaí and the RSA. Much easier to push it onto the drivers.

The level of education, enforcement & punishment is the main problem here.

stoneill

I was driving along the M4 quite happily one day and EVERY OTHER car was driving on the wrong side of the road towards me- and the cheek of them flashing their lights at me to get out of their way!
Chungella's and chungun's, there is no accounting for them.

blackwhite

Park Royal wrote: »

I'd love to check my driving on a Motorway, but finding it hard to find one

in Mayo.....;)

There is a bit of one in Sligo....Collooney Bypass....

And that's not even a motorway!

Sure it's built to motorway standard, and is generally fairly quiet. But let's keep the limit at 100km/h and stick as many speed traps as possible on it :rolleyes:

RandomAccess

I've had someone driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway, it seemed like they had missed their turn and were doing a U turn, at night.

They high beamed me on the way past so I couldn't get a reg or anything.

--

Have also seen people reversing back to an off-ramp, and once saw someone reversing on a roundabout at night, perhaps he missed his exit as well, but didn't understand the concept of a circle.

Once I heard a loud blast from a car horn and looked out the office window to see some cars stopped head to head just feet apart at a very busy roundabout. It seems the driver thought the roundabout was a fork in the road or sliproad, not an easy mistake to make on this roundabout as it was clearly signed and the middle of the day.

So yeah, I think if anything its a more serious problem than the feature stated. The amount of unreported incidents must be staggering.

superstoner90

Park Royal wrote: »

I'd love to check my driving on a Motorway, but finding it hard to find one

in Mayo.....;)

There is a bit of one in Sligo....Collooney Bypass....

Thats only a micky mouse motorway!

Buffman

This issue was in the news again today, inquest into the death of two on the N25 in Cork.

randy hickey

One would have to question if these people are in full posession of all their mental faculties.I can tell you that it's such an unnatural manoeuvre to turn your vehicle and drive the wrong way down an off ramp, that anybody with reasonable brain activity would know straight away that they had gone wrong.
Also, the WRONG WAY,TURN BACK signs are a dead giveaway!

robclay26

I have had an old stupid ballocks drive towards me on the M7 at Portlaoise and its pretty scary when your driving at 120km and you see are car closing in on you fast!
I know may would disagree to this idea, but i personally think it would be the right job:
In aviation every 2 years a private pilot does a check ride with an instructor, or commercial every 6 months with an airline.
So take this concept to the roads.
Our licences are for 10 years and I believe (open to correction) that after a certain age that are for shorter periods of time?

Well for all drivers under 50 the should have to take a skills test to get a licence renewal after their 10 year licence expires. This test is just to show they know the basic rules and proper way to drive and to be safe. (NOT A FULL BULL****E DRIVING TEST)
Drivers over 50, Licence valid for 5 years and a skills test again to renew it
Drivers over 70, licence valid for 2 years and a skill test to renew it.

The validation period is shorter for older generations because they in general have a substandard of driving. Example: driving at 80km or 60km in fast lane on motorway when the left lane is clear, or driving the wrong way up the Dual carriage way or motorway.

I would like to mention that also pensioners should have this renewal test done free of charge if the meet criteria similar to medical card approvals. Low income pensions are free and the rich pay the normal fee.

But before something like this can be done, the delays and backlogs in driving test would have to be a thing of the past. Also the driving test itself needs to be changed, its a load of ballocks!!
Its time to remove from the road dangerous drivers! Go safe Vans are Ballocks the make money for the government.
Saving lives on the roads is done by:
(1)improving driving skills in all conditions, Rain, ice, Snow etc
(2)fixing the Dangerous roads them selves. better signage and markings at dangerous junctions, straightening out the bad bends on back roads etc. But this costs money, Go- Safe Vans make money!:mad:

MadsL

^ Good post, but my god ...





Where are my reading glasses...?

superstoner90

MadsL wrote: »

^ Good post, but my god ...
Where are my reading glasses...?

You should have a "zoom" tab on the bottom right hand side. Unless your still using the pre-historic windows98?

Mr. Presentable

What about huge signage on the other side of overpasses "You are going the wrong direction"?

You only see it if you are on the wrong carriageway.

Buffman

The only real solution is a one way spike strip at each exit, with an override for emergency vehicles.

-Corkie-

superstoner90 wrote: »

You should have a "zoom" tab on the bottom right hand side. Unless your still using the pre-historic windows98?

Sisshhh the baby is asleep he was whispering...

superstoner90

-Corkie- wrote: »

Sisshhh the baby is asleep he was whispering...

Oh sorry corkie :rolleyes: *farts uncontrollably* Oooooo dear.

MadsL

superstoner90 wrote: »

You should have a "zoom" tab on the bottom right hand side. Unless your still using the pre-historic windows98?

Nah, not using a pre-historic browser like Internet Explorer; Chrome ftw. Besides, I know my keyboard shortcuts...:p

inforfun

randy hickey wrote: »

One would have to question if these people are in full posession of all their mental faculties.I can tell you that it's such an unnatural manoeuvre to turn your vehicle and drive the wrong way down an off ramp, that anybody with reasonable brain activity would know straight away that they had gone wrong.
Also, the WRONG WAY,TURN BACK signs are a dead giveaway!

Driving is a skill that requires a certain amount of talent in my opinion.
I have a serious lack of talent to create art and therefor you will not see me being busy creating art.

Some people just dont have the talent to drive and should not be let near the steering wheel of a car.

And the only way to see if someone actually has the skill, talent and knowledge on how to drive is by having proper education.
In other words, proper driving school and proper driving tests.

superstoner90

MadsL wrote: »

Nah, not using a pre-historic browser like Internet Explorer; Chrome ftw. Besides, I know my keyboard shortcuts...:p

well "zoom" in on it so. Problem solved! No glasses needed!

MadsL

superstoner90 wrote: »

well "zoom" in on it so. Problem solved! No glasses needed!

Whooooosh! The sound of humour going over your head.

superstoner90

MadsL wrote: »

Whooooosh! The sound of humour going over your head.

MadsL

superstoner90 wrote: »

I think you just proved my point....

superstoner90

MadsL wrote: »

I think you just proved my point....

Ya perhaps.....I dnt really get it myself though.

opti0nal

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

What about huge signage on the other side of overpasses "You are going the wrong direction"?

Signs don't always work, many people simply ignore speed limits, for example.

dahamsta

There's an off-ramp in Douglas, Cork at a major 4-way signalled cross, with a large block-caps WRONG WAY sign, I've still seen people trying to go up it.

vetstu

I was on the M1 last week and saw someone reversing down the airport slip onto the M-way.