A small rant about crappy driving in Ireland

keithclancy

So went back to Ireland to visit on Monday, got back yesterday.

Rented a car at Dublin Airport and drove to Tipperary.

Over the course of the days I saw the following.

1. Someone parked on the hard shoulder on the motorway, swung the passenger side door open to get out of the car, didn't even look to see if anything was coming. Lucky I'd already moved out to the overtaking lane, guy behind be decided to drive up my a$$ and flash his lights to get out of the way and then when I moved back in he drove past giving the finger.

I wouldn't even dream of sitting in the car on the hard shoulder, straight out behind the barrier, get everyone to get out via the door closest to the barrier.

2. Multiple morons that I'd overtake on the Motorway while I'm doing 120km/h, then 2 minutes later they overtake and slow back down again, this hop scotch carried on with 3 cars and 1 van on the way down to Tipp, I just want to keep a constant speed ffs .. this slowing down and speeding up crap annoys me.

3. Morons that sit behind a green light waiting for a gap to turn right rather than move into the junction to wait to turn right, this happened 4 times with 1 moron just completely cutting across the junction.

4. Dangerous Overtaking - 2 Incidents where the car not overtaking (me) had to apply the brakes to accommodate the oncoming car.

5. Saw a guy undertaking 2 cars via the Hard shoulder while joining the motorway.

Ireland is weird, its not just bad driving, its the mentality, road rage seems to be common place, if you use the horn to inform someone the light has turned green you may as well have raped one of their family members. People seem to have some sort of idea in their head of based on the length of the beep as well, depending on where they are from.

Went for a drive there this morning and the difference is amazing, I think the longer I'm away from Ireland the worse it seems when I go back to visit. I can't tell if its gotten worse or before I just took it as normal behavior.

Didn't see one Garda Checkpoint or an Gardai on the Motorway what so ever.

Anan1

Many Irish drivers are like small children behind the wheel. They have no system for doing anything, and they take everything very personally. Just slow down and slot in, you'll be back on the continent soon enough.

ballooba

keithclancy wrote: »

I wouldn't even dream of sitting in the car on the hard shoulder, straight out behind the barrier, get everyone to get out via the door closest to the barrier.

People in Ireland stop in the hard shoulder on a whim, be it to take a leak or a phone call. People frequently die from this kind of misadventure but the behaviour continues. Darwinism.

ThisRegard

keithclancy wrote: »

1. Someone parked on the hard shoulder on the motorway, swung the passenger side door open to get out of the car, didn't even look to see if anything was coming. Lucky I'd already moved out to the overtaking lane, guy behind be decided to drive up my a$$ and flash his lights to get out of the way and then when I moved back in he drove past giving the finger.

Unless it was a left hand drive car I presume you mean got out the rear drivers side door ? If it was right hand drive and the car was parked in the hard shoulder, unless they were parked facing traffic, getting out the passenger door is safest ?

keithclancy

ThisRegard wrote: »

Unless it was a left hand drive car I presume you mean got out the rear drivers side door ? If it was right hand drive and the car was parked in the hard shoulder, unless they were parked facing traffic, getting out the passenger door is safest ?

Yes ... had a brain fart there ... my Steering wheel is on the left, that guys steering wheel was on the right .. so his Drivers side door

ballooba

keithclancy wrote: »

I just want to keep a constant speed ffs .. this slowing down and speeding up crap annoys me.

Cars in Ireland are poverty spec to keep dealer/distributor margins high and VRT low. Even if people had cruise control, it's doubtful that they would know how to use it.

keithclancy wrote: »

Didn't see one Garda Checkpoint or an Gardai on the Motorway what so ever.

You can drive with impunity in Ireland 90% of the time. Just act like you're in Russia or some developing country.

Colonel Sanders

Re 2 every longish motor way trip I come across this. At least one person I overtake 3-4 times

Worst ever was one day driving to Kilkenny over took a women in a Focus. Straight away she over took me again and cut right back accross after over taking nearly hit my car & I'd to over rake immediately. A few miles later I see the same woman tearing down the over taking lane. Her front bumper is level with my rear bumper she slows down & pulls back. This happens 2 or 3 times before she over takes.

ballooba

I think with the speed variance it might in some cases be that their car can't handle hills. I don't get too annoyed with those people. They've got a lot to put up with listening to their hairdryers struggle.

keithclancy

ballooba wrote: »

I think with the speed variance it might in some cases be that their car can't handle hills. I don't get too annoyed with those people. They've got a lot to put up with listening to their hairdryers struggle.

I was driving a 1.2 Liter Fiat Panda, its not like its fecking Norway, if it was having trouble maintaining speed on a hill then i'd just change gear.

Blazer

keithclancy wrote: »

5. Saw a guy undertaking 2 cars via the Hard shoulder while joining the motorway.

I've done this several times...it was either undertake the slowass prícks or getting smashed to pieces by a truck who's going faster than the morons doing 60kph joining a motorway..

coolisin

The game of hopscotch is a pet hate, although its funny picking out the cars/people you know will act like this.

The random nature of people stopping on motorways is bizarre u drove past people changing a wheel on the hard shoulder 5metres on the far side of one of the new motorway parking bay's.

We Irish really are terrible drivers, and your right just don't beep, if I'm not paying attention to a traffic light when it turns green and get beeped at I'll usually give an apologetic wave and move on.
If I do it I'll get the finger and somebody generally going nuts.

Trying to stick to the limit is also next to impossible with tailgaters no matter what speed you do.

Saab Ed

ballooba wrote: »

Cars in Ireland are poverty spec to keep dealer/distributor margins high

Bahahahaha. If you only knew the half of it.

Back on topic. While I'll freely admit that the standard of Irish drivers is poor, the level of aggression on the road, compared to our European cousins, is much lower. Havin driven and lived on the continent, I really do feel that Irish egos come through far less while driving ( excluding under 20 year old males, and to a lesser extent lately, under 20 females too)

I really dont enjoy driving in central Europe that much at all. Eveybody is in a terrible hurry and patients is at a premium. And dont get me started on my Eastern European driving experience. That borders on comedic if it wasnt far tha fact that its so bloody dangerous.

All in all I'd place us high enough up the list of European drivers. We might be lazy and a bit easy with the rules but we're a polite and easy enough going bunch on the roads.

langdang

keithclancy wrote: »

I was driving a 1.2 Liter Fiat Panda, its not like its fecking Norway, if it was having trouble maintaining speed on a hill then i'd just change gear.

In Ireland, gears only go up.
Once you get to top gear you never change down, until you stop.
If this causes your car to lug a bit in corners, you should clutch it briefly, then lumber out of the corner, but NEVER change down.
Top gear is the optimum gear for overtaking, cos everyone knows "it's the fastest"

Mc Love

The auld hopscotch on the motorway is crazy, last wednesday I was going to Dublin, and I must have passed and have been passed out 4/5 times by one of those Porsche SUV's. I mean why dont people stay at a steady speed. Or do they know where the Garda cars are parked and speed up (to about 90 mph) when there isnt one for a few miles then slow back down when there is?

And there was also a white ford transit playing the game. Everytime the Porsche overtook me, the van went with him, and everytime I overtook the Porsche, the van went with me! And then all of a sudden the van took off at about 90-100 mph....absolute crazy!

I did notice the high amount of new Garda spaces along the motorway

_Kaiser_

Ah yes the hopscotch game is a pet hate of mine as well. Regularly see it but generally I quickly get bored of it and just leave them behind...

Equally annoying is the muppet who'll come tearing up the outside lane until he gets level with your rear bumper... then he'll sit there, so that when you come up behind a car you either have to put the foot down to get out ahead of dumbass or hit the brakes and sit in behind him.

Someone mentioned enforcement - you must be joking! Why actively police the roads when ya can sit camped out at the side and rack up the stats/cash and targets from people doing "lethal" speeds of 130/140 (indicated) on a wide open motorway instead?

mikemac1

keithclancy wrote: »

its the mentality, road rage seems to be common place,

While you can find lots of faults I wouldn't use Ireland as an example of aggressive behavior

You are on the continent OP, have you been to Rome!

Street full of traffic?, hey the answer is lean on the horn and wave your other hand around

Kamikaize moped riders in their shorts and flips flops jamming through non existant gaps and sending pedestrians scattering

And if you are a pedestrian in Rome then be nervous crossing the road, pedestrian crossing are just there for show

Come to rural Ireland and everyone salutes, everyone

MugMugs

keithclancy wrote: »

2. Multiple morons that I'd overtake on the Motorway while I'm doing 120km/h, then 2 minutes later they overtake and slow back down again, this hop scotch carried on with 3 cars and 1 van on the way down to Tipp, I just want to keep a constant speed ffs .. this slowing down and speeding up crap annoys me.
.

This could be you with inconsistent speed to be honest.

When I use Cruise control the car accelerates up the hills and vice versa downhill. As such, on a motorway run I pass cars on the hills and I am sometimes passed again by the same cars on the decline.

kbyte61

The thing that annoys me most is the people who don't indicate. I was driving around town earlier and just felt like screaming because of the amount of people that wouldn't use their indicators. Its the most infuriating thing on roundabouts.

L1011

ballooba wrote: »

I think with the speed variance it might in some cases be that their car can't handle hills. I don't get too annoyed with those people. They've got a lot to put up with listening to their hairdryers struggle.

Generally the people doing the hopscotch are in cars plenty powerful enough. You do get the odd person in a ****box that gets annoyed at being overtaken and hammers it to get back past you but they usually only do it once.

Its low-end "executive" cars that are the main hopscotchers. Did Galway-Dublin non-stop on cruise I got overtaken and then re-passed the same 3 series ELEVEN TIMES.

Antares wrote: »

This could be you with inconsistent speed to be honest.

When I use Cruise control the car accelerates up the hills and vice versa downhill. As such, on a motorway run I pass cars on the hills and I am sometimes passed again by the same cars on the decline.

Its accelerated to maintain the same speed, unless your cruise control is crap.

hi5

Hopscotch Dont you mean Leapfrog:)

BigEejit

Christ I forgot the leapfrog/hopscotch shíte, have to do that all the way from Waterford to Kerry next week.

I never saw Irish drivers as particularly road ragey, but then again I drive in London a lot. At least people join motorways properly for the most part.

Chuck Stone

keithclancy wrote: »

Didn't see one Garda Checkpoint or an Gardai on the Motorway what so ever.

There's the problem right there ^^ .

I'd have no problem with them putting cameras (not speed cameras) on the entire motorway network and fining people for doing stupid things. They'd make a fucking fortune.

keithclancy

Antares wrote: »

This could be you with inconsistent speed to be honest.

When I use Cruise control the car accelerates up the hills and vice versa downhill. As such, on a motorway run I pass cars on the hills and I am sometimes passed again by the same cars on the decline.

Well I seriously doubt it Mister Psychic since its never an issue when I drive over here between the Netherlands and Germany every day

bugsntinas

we moved back here 8 years ago and even then i could believe how much/bad the driving was like the uk.but over the years i think the driving here is terrible i know it doesn't mean everyone but it is bad.no indicators,bad positioning at junctions(sit the wrong side of the junction to turn the opposite way,undercutting and hell of a lot of ignorance.alot of it is the driver but alot of it was down to the way they could get thier license without proper lessons etc.only ever been on one motorway here around mitchelstown and what's with the layby!!!ya don't have parking laybys on motorways in the uk and europe you have service stations.i've seen people come out straight onto the motorway without speed or looking.years ago i used to love getting in the car and going for a leisurely drive but i don't can't do it here.

MugMugs

MYOB wrote: »

ballooba wrote: »

I think with the speed variance it might in some cases be that their car can't handle hills. I don't get too annoyed with those people. They've got a lot to put up with listening to their hairdryers struggle.

Generally the people doing the hopscotch are in cars plenty powerful enough. You do get the odd person in a ****box that gets annoyed at being overtaken and hammers it to get back past you but they usually only do it once.

Its low-end "executive" cars that are the main hopscotchers. Did Galway-Dublin non-stop on cruise I got overtaken and then re-passed the same 3 series ELEVEN TIMES.

Antares wrote: »

This could be you with inconsistent speed to be honest.

When I use Cruise control the car accelerates up the hills and vice versa downhill. As such, on a motorway run I pass cars on the hills and I am sometimes passed again by the same cars on the decline.

Its accelerated to maintain the same speed, unless your cruise control is crap.

That's pretty much what I said. Non Cruise Control driving doesn't do this therefore a lot of overtaking.

Qualitymark

Drivers here drive badly because they drive like narcissists - they drive as if they're the only person on the road.

The thing that really makes me insane is not lack of indicating, it's people who use their indicator only as they turn the wheel. Bone selfish. (And dangerous. I've sat in a friend's car, trembling, in the right-turn-or-straight-ahead lane, no indicator on, waiting to turn right. How are cars behind supposed to know why the car is stopped in the middle of an empty road?)

Zubeneschamali

I see a lot of leapfrog on the motorway, as I'm trundling along on cruise control just above the limit. The same eejit might pass me 3 times in 20 minutes, and then sag back to a slower speed.

The only way to shake them is to floor it to 160 or so until they are well back, then they don't feel the need to speed up and give chase, and you can drop back to your regular speed.

Only where speed checks are unlikely, obviously.

L1011

Antares wrote: »

That's pretty much what I said. Non Cruise Control driving doesn't do this therefore a lot of overtaking.

Only if the non-cruise driver is very poor at maintaining progress.

_Kaiser_

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I see a lot of leapfrog on the motorway, as I'm trundling along on cruise control just above the limit. The same eejit might pass me 3 times in 20 minutes, and then sag back to a slower speed.

The only way to shake them is to floor it to 160 or so until they are well back, then they don't feel the need to speed up and give chase, and you can drop back to your regular speed.

Only where speed checks are unlikely, obviously.

Yea, I've found this as well.. When dealing with children like this it seems the only thing they understand is "mine's bigger than yours and I'm more willing to use it".

Between a short burst of speed on an empty motorway, or being forced into silly games with morons like that, I know which one I'll choose

veetwin

ballooba wrote: »

People in Ireland stop in the hard shoulder on a whim, be it to take a leak or a phone call. People frequently die from this kind of misadventure but the behaviour continues. Darwinism.

In fairness deaths from this behaviour are not really that frequent! I'm struggling to remember that last motorway death in Ireland let alone one caused by parking on a motorway.

Agree with OP though. Alot of Irish drivers are clueless and some really detest being overtaken in any situation.

MugMugs

MYOB wrote: »

Antares wrote: »

That's pretty much what I said. Non Cruise Control driving doesn't do this therefore a lot of overtaking.

Only if the non-cruise driver is very poor at maintaining progress.

So you maintain 120 km/h uphill all the time the whole way? Do you have high fuel bills?

L1011

Antares wrote: »

So you maintain 120 km/h uphill all the time the whole way? Do you have high fuel bills?

My time is significantly more valuable than fuel costs.

keithclancy

Antares wrote: »

So you maintain 120 km/h uphill all the time the whole way? Do you have high fuel bills?

Well... Yeh... because its not just my road, its a road I have to share with everyone else.

MugMugs

MYOB wrote: »

Antares wrote: »

So you maintain 120 km/h uphill all the time the whole way? Do you have high fuel bills?

My time is significantly more valuable than fuel costs.

So the majority of other drivers are "poor" in their driving skills because you don't mind your fuel costs.... Not sure how that logic works.

Mrs Garth Brooks

Rented a car during the week. After a year of not having a car. Anyway I was coming up to traffic lights which turned orange, so I stopped. It wasn't good enough for the guy behind me and he overtook me. Stupid eejit.
I was also stopped at lights. It turns green and some one decides to cross the road. But because it was green I was beeped at for being slow. What was I meant to do? Plough through people? Some people have no patience. Im sick of that crap. Wish people would think, its not all about them.

ahnowbrowncow

Antares wrote: »

So the majority of other drivers are "poor" in their driving skills because you don't mind your fuel costs.... Not sure how that logic works.

I don't think too many drivers see a hill and think I better take my foot off the accelerator and slow down, it'll save me a few cent

L1011

Antares wrote: »

So the majority of other drivers are "poor" in their driving skills because you don't mind your fuel costs.... Not sure how that logic works.

You appear to be missing that the driver in such a scenario would have to let their car accelerate well beyond any gains from a decline to end up overtaking someone who had passed them.

Hence they're incredibly poor at maintaining progress.

DanWall

Impatience is becoming a problem, the other day I was going into a multi story car park and stopped to let the person in front reverse out, it took him a little longer than usual so people behind me started tooting their horns,

AltAccount

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

I was also stopped at lights. It turns green and some one decides to cross the road. But because it was green I was beeped at for being slow. What was I meant to do? Plough through people? Some people have no patience. Im sick of that crap. Wish people would think, its not all about them.

Maybe they were beeping at the person who started crossing the road late.

art davidson

keithclancy wrote: »

So went back to Ireland to visit on Monday, got back yesterday.

Rented a car at Dublin Airport and drove to Tipperary.

Over the course of the days I saw the following.

1. Someone parked on the hard shoulder on the motorway, swung the passenger side door open to get out of the car, didn't even look to see if anything was coming. Lucky I'd already moved out to the overtaking lane, guy behind be decided to drive up my a$$ and flash his lights to get out of the way and then when I moved back in he drove past giving the finger.

I wouldn't even dream of sitting in the car on the hard shoulder, straight out behind the barrier, get everyone to get out via the door closest to the barrier.

2. Multiple morons that I'd overtake on the Motorway while I'm doing 120km/h, then 2 minutes later they overtake and slow back down again, this hop scotch carried on with 3 cars and 1 van on the way down to Tipp, I just want to keep a constant speed ffs .. this slowing down and speeding up crap annoys me.

3. Morons that sit behind a green light waiting for a gap to turn right rather than move into the junction to wait to turn right, this happened 4 times with 1 moron just completely cutting across the junction.

4. Dangerous Overtaking - 2 Incidents where the car not overtaking (me) had to apply the brakes to accommodate the oncoming car.

5. Saw a guy undertaking 2 cars via the Hard shoulder while joining the motorway.

Ireland is weird, its not just bad driving, its the mentality, road rage seems to be common place, if you use the horn to inform someone the light has turned green you may as well have raped one of their family members. People seem to have some sort of idea in their head of based on the length of the beep as well, depending on where they are from.

Went for a drive there this morning and the difference is amazing, I think the longer I'm away from Ireland the worse it seems when I go back to visit. I can't tell if its gotten worse or before I just took it as normal behavior.

Didn't see one Garda Checkpoint or an Gardai on the Motorway what so ever.

Ireland is Hell on earth for driving.

actually thats harsh on hell

ballooba

veetwin wrote: »

ballooba wrote: »

People in Ireland stop in the hard shoulder on a whim, be it to take a leak or a phone call. People frequently die from this kind of misadventure but the behaviour continues. Darwinism.

In fairness deaths from this behaviour are not really that frequent! I'm struggling to remember that last motorway death in Ireland let alone one caused by parking on a motorway.

Id get into specifics but it might be insensitive. I can think of at least one incidence in the last five years on a national route. Its a terribly stupid and selfish thing to do.

UK stats:
"Current statistics indicate that …. more than 1,500 people are killed or injured each year on the hard shoulder."Source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance

http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/statistics

Pottler

OP, you're on planet Zanussi mate. I breath a sigh of relief every time I drive off the ferry at DunLaoghaire or Dublin, Irish drivers are bad and aggressive? Are you having a laugh?? Leaving Ireland, I brace myself for the joyous experience of sharing the road abroad with a bunch of lunatics whose idea of being a good driver is going flat out no matter what road you're on. I've driven all over Europe for work and sorry, driving in Ireland is a pleasure by comparison.

veetwin

ballooba wrote: »

veetwin wrote: »

ballooba wrote: »

People in Ireland stop in the hard shoulder on a whim, be it to take a leak or a phone call. People frequently die from this kind of misadventure but the behaviour continues. Darwinism.

In fairness deaths from this behaviour are not really that frequent! I'm struggling to remember that last motorway death in Ireland let alone one caused by parking on a motorway.

Id get into specifics but it might be insensitive. I can think of at least one incidence in the last five years on a national route. Its a terribly stupid and selfish thing to do.

UK stats:
"Current statistics indicate that …. more than 1,500 people are killed or injured each year on the hard shoulder."Source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance

http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/statistics

The OP was talking about motorway driving in Ireland. You go on to mention 1 incident you can recall on a national road (not a motorway) in the last 5 years.

You then go on to quote a rather questionable statistic from another country.

I stand by my point that deaths from hard shoulder parking are not exactly frequent in Ireland.

ballooba

veetwin wrote: »

ballooba wrote: »

veetwin wrote: »

ballooba wrote: »

People in Ireland stop in the hard shoulder on a whim, be it to take a leak or a phone call. People frequently die from this kind of misadventure but the behaviour continues. Darwinism.

In fairness deaths from this behaviour are not really that frequent! I'm struggling to remember that last motorway death in Ireland let alone one caused by parking on a motorway.

Id get into specifics but it might be insensitive. I can think of at least one incidence in the last five years on a national route. Its a terribly stupid and selfish thing to do.

UK stats:
"Current statistics indicate that …. more than 1,500 people are killed or injured each year on the hard shoulder."Source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance

http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/statistics

The OP was talking about motorway driving in Ireland. You go on to mention 1 incident you can recall on a national road (not a motorway) in the last 5 years.

You then go on to quote a rather questionable statistic from another country.

I stand by my point that deaths from hard shoulder parking are not exactly frequent in Ireland.

I didn't realise the discussion was exclusively about motorways. All the talk of traffic lights etc.threw me. Sincere apologies.

Qualitymark

AltAccount wrote: »

Better again to pull out of their way?

This is true, when it's possible. But sometimes - too often - trucks pull up behind you and sit on your taillights when it's impossible to go left or right. Very dangerous.

golf nut

M9 woman driving down to Waterford on wrong side of m -way last week

Redjeep!

I saw somebody reversing up a motorway slip road last week. Hadn't seen that in a few years.

Boskowski

AltAccount wrote: »

Better again to pull out of their way?

Like where to?

You're assuming now I'm in the fast lane, let's say I'm not or this isn't a dual carriageway.

Sorry but in that case the other drivers is creating a dangerous situation not me.

dudara

I drive frequently between Dublin & Cork at the moment and the minute I hit the 120 km/h section, I set the cruise control at a *wee* (:D) bit above the limit and off I go. I honestly have to say that the overtaking antics of some drivers are hilarious. I pull past, indicate back in and progress on. 5 minutes later, they're back, and steaming past. This can repeat ad nauseam several times in the same journey.

Last Friday was particularly bad with a VW and Seat both belting past several times and then falling back. Both of these numpties sat in the overtaking lane for extended periods also.

All you can do is exhale, chill and drive on safely. Don't police these numpties or get involved in whatever games they're playing in their heads. Too many drivers take these experiences far too personally.

EDIT: Just thought of something scary I've noticed recently. I've seen more and more people (and I hate to say it, but they're usually women) talking and checking mobile phones on the motorway.

TheChizler

Marcin_diy wrote: »

There are plenty of people on the roads playing your game then. I can't remember how many times I had to brake just cos somebody was cruising like a snail on overtaking lane, and on many occasions flashlights, or horn did not work, and the only chance to get back to the speed was to undertake car and show middle finger.

It's the middle finger touch that really helps the situation and makes driving on Irish roads such a pleasure. :P

Jimbob 83

Funny when i was on the M6 the day i got the ST nobody passed me after i passed them