Slow down day...again

BronsonTB

Slow down day tomorrow

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2021/1020/1254794-road-safety/

How about a 'Fix your lights' day!!!

The amount with 1 working headlight, no lights on, no rear lights, no working brake lights, one tail light/brake light etc...

How about targeting these drivers with zero tolerance & on the spot fines???

I don't support a slow down day....I see speed checks everyday & all these drivers with bad lighting and nothing said to them! (They are safey issue every time they start there engines & it's ignored by all (accept NCT test on one day)

Miscreant

Totally agree with your sentiment here but nothing will change in this country without enforcement. The same discussion is brought up at around this time of year, every year. 🙂

For one day only it's not a revenue making exercise.

"Gardaí have said they will target rural roads with speed checks, as almost four out of five road fatalities so far this year have occurred on routes where an 80km speed limit applies."

Who'd have thought there'd be less fatalities on motorways and DCs?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118048015#Comment_118048015

My local road has an 80 Km/hr limit and I have to stop to let people pass but the traffic drives as close to 80 as they can despite actually being closer to 40-50 Km/hr to be safe.

I'd say more the problem on actual 80 roads is junctions and people pulling in and out but I would say the greatest issue on the road today is the phone, that's an awful lot of road not seen while someone checks for the likes on facebook.

My local village has a 50 Km/hr limit and you can hardly do 40 yet people do way more and couldn't care less.

In Germany they have a lot of fixed speed traps and 40 Km/hr limit and they all obey this, they can see where the traps, we need a lot more of these but Irish answer is to do speed checks on motorways and on good quality roads where people can safely do a little more speed and to hell with the back roads and towns/villages.

DoctorEdgeWild

A better 'Day' would be a 'Learn how to do basic maintenance on your car day' - Have a few car parks where people can drive in and be SHOWN how to change a bulb, fluids, check oil etc. I think that would be a good initiative and would improve overall road safety.

(Although perhaps modern cars and their design has put paid to this kind of routine maintenance)

colm_mcm

Don’t worry, it’ll be “don’t bother slowing down day” again tomorrow

Interslice

Lovely, I've a 3 hour drive on rural roads to do tomorrow.

Vaccinated30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049243#Comment_118049243

Youre asked in a driving test to show where all fluids are to show you can do it.

I think all full licenced drivers should have to take a refresher course/6 lessons before every renewal of their licence

MBE220d

Why not have a day of pulling muppets that drive along at 60 kms on national routes with 20+ cars stuck behind them, these clowns are a lot more dangerous than the ones that are speeding.

Leonard Hofstadter

Isn't every day 'slow down day' (or a variation on that theme)?

Jeremy Sproket

I can see your reasoning behind targeting lights ... but mistakes can and do happen.

I drive an old Nissan Micra. It's tough as boots and I can change the headlight in seconds. I always have spare rear lights and dipped bulbs in the glovebox.

Other modern cars ... not as easy. Some require the bumper to be removed, torx screwdrivers etc. Even me, 148 cm tall and 47 kg slender as hell would struggle in some cars to get my hand in. You can't punish those people. Headlights can blow at any time and it would be very unfair to get points minutes after you get a blown bulb if enforcement was as strong as you propose.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049190#Comment_118049190

I agree with a lot of this, but the Germans are not any different. I have spent a lot of times in Germany over the last 20 years, and they have muppets like every where

SupplyandDemandZone

Bulbs can go at any time and aren't the drivers fault, speeding is. Massive difference.

elperello

Apparently there is a high proportion of accidents on 80kph roads so the Slow Down Day is trying to get through to the people who drive on them which can't be a bad thing.

One thing I notice when driving on these roads is the number of drivers who seem incapable of staying on their own side of the road even when going around bends.

If you are driving around a blind bend with the o/s front wheel cocked out over the middle of the road you only need to meet someone of similar mindset coming the other way for disaster to ensue.

mikeecho

(you're) damned if you do and damned if you don't

BronsonTB

Just to remind folks, it's the law to have 2 working headlights & taillights at all times.

Of course bulbs go, but they must be replaced as soon as possible & alot don't bother until they have a test coming up. If you check them everytime you start a journey, you'll know pretty quick if they've gone.

If they are hard to replace, go to the garage & get them replaced, pure laziness & should be punished with fines only, not points for it.

I see the same cars with blown lights everyday, they are too lazy to replace & I'd like to see more enforcement over this rather than a one day 'slow down day'.

Every f***** day is s 'slow down day', it's the law...

@Mikeecho - Nope if you keep lights working, you're not damned at all, only if you don't!

BronsonTB

Bit much doing them on the N4 today when they previously said it's rural roads today....stinks...

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/newsireland/garda%c3%ad-catch-43-motorists-speeding-during-first-two-hours-of-national-slow-down-day/ar-AAPMjdf?li=BBr5HCU

robbiew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118050674#Comment_118050674

ok karen

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052803#Comment_118052803

Better that speeding drivers are caught for it whatever road they may be on, rural, local, regional, national or motorway. Just because Gardai said that the focus is on rural roads today doesn't make it the case that drivers using all non-rural roads can expect no checks at all and think it's a free for all for whatever speed over the limit they may choose to drive at.

It stinks that you are unhappy that drivers who either choose to break the law by driving over the limit or else drive over the limit due to lack of observation and extremely basic driving skills are being punished for it.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052803#Comment_118052803

How is it a bit much?

Guy/ gal was speeding.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118050620#Comment_118050620

You've a 3 hour and 5 minutes drive to do then.

iColdFusion

When is it national fix the crappy roads day?

I don't even mean potholes which are bad enough but some roads are all over the shop with cambers, humps, bumps, crap visibility junctions, un-cut ditches and worst of all flooding and standing water, surely all that all has an effect on accidents? But of course that would require effort and cost money instead of bringing it in.

If they wiped out all the hedges and ran fields up to the road like you see on the continent we'd have much safer roads but that's an environmental no go.

A national remove the junkies from the streets day wouldn't be bad either.

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052888#Comment_118052888

Yes but they do the N roads everyday!! Today was to be about the rural roads, so they said themselves!

Even see one is for the M4!!!

Just looking for headlines, zero respect to them...

@Highdef -They have limited resorces as it is...so when they are going to do something like this, they should do so, where people can be confidend they are trying to catch & imporve driving on rural roads, it's one f****** day for rural roads & they can't get that right...(I'm not excusing anyone/anywhere for speeding!!)

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053204#Comment_118053204

They never said they wouldn't be doing main roads.

Did you think speed limits wouldn't apply today on them?

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053243#Comment_118053243

Of course not!! Today was suppose to be about 'rural' roads & catching drivers speeding on them accourding to thier own publicity....but reality it's not, it's everyroad so why the hell even mention rural roads in the publicity in the first place!!!!

They should have just said it's a slow down day with speed checks everywhere!

If they are on the N roads then there is less of them to be on rural roads.....

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053283#Comment_118053283

From the RSA

While An Garda Síochána will be focusing its enforcement activity across all speed limit zones, there will be a focus on rural roads. This is because almost 4 out of 5 (78%)* fatalities to date this year have occurred on rural roads. These are roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or above.

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053204#Comment_118053204

I actually can't believe you're so annoyed that drivers are being done for speeding on non-rural roads today. They are also doing speed checks on rural roads today in addition to the regular non-rural road speed checks as they normally put little focus on rural roads.

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053674#Comment_118053674

No I'm not, I'm annoyed that they are not actively targeting as much of the rural roads as they possibly can today, based on their limited resources.

They are targeting ALL roads so it/'s just the same as every other day!!

Will have to agree to disagree with you on this one.

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053694#Comment_118053694

But today they are putting focus on rural roads, normally they do not have much if any focus on rural roads. It would be completely wrong if they put all resources on L and R roads today and little or nothing on N and M roads.

Normally they target mainly R, N and M roads but today they are targeting ALL road types which is actually NOT the same as every other day.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118050957#Comment_118050957

They do but in my experience they're not as mad as here with their only intention is to speed to get there asap. In the more built up areas they don't speed as much either, probably due to more fixed speed traps.

mikeecho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118050674#Comment_118050674

Nah.. I couldn't even be bothered with the yearly CPC class.

Being an old bàstard I've got grandfather rights ..... I'll get around to it at some stage.. when I actually need to.