Meanwhile on the Roads...

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164697#Comment_122164697

Yeah, there's a huge amount of drivers who think it's acceptable to scroll on social media while driving. Zero enforcement just encourages it. And it creates a huge ripple effect for delays, not to mention people who just drive straight through red lights.

at1withmyself

The mind boggles alright some times. I was cycling along a dual lane road towards the junction. Inside lane is specifically for turning left so I filtered to the top of the queue where there is a area for bikes to wait at the red light.

The going straight outside lane for straight on was green. The left lane was red as the pedestrian crossing was green.

In under 60 seconds, 2 cars took a left from the straight on lane and through the red left light. Best part was the car then in the queue behind me beeped at me while the light was red and gestuured I go through the red so he could move on. Basic driving skills are lacking.

magicbastarder

https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2024/05/22/pedestrians-may-be-twice-as-likely-to-be-hit-by-electric-or-hybrid-cars-research-suggests/

...

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122168203#Comment_122168203

I wonder if speed of EVs is a factor, given their faster acceleration?

Doesn't have to be EVs of course

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/05/21/girl-13-killed-by-blow-from-wing-mirror-of-van-seemed-to-emerge-from-blind-spot-inquest-told/

magicbastarder

No, but that's a rather redundant comment?

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122168803#Comment_122168803

That's a neighbour's child.

Where I grew up is just over 1km from location of incident.

At likely speeds engine noise is secondary to tyre/aerodynamic noise.

What is relevant but not referenced is traffic behaviour around school buses especially on busy high speed regional roads. A school bus stops should be a red flag/red light.

Are deaths of children the price we pay for ribbon development and free for all on our regional roads.

In 1972 my uncle was killed within a 1km west of location and in December 1999 I was first on the scene of a double fatality within 500m also to the west. A young couple lost control of their car on a wet road following resurfacing and likely blocked gullies. They impacted with a truck driven by her father.

In 1984 Mick O'Brien was walking 500m to east of location when two cars heading west into a low sun overtiok a slower moving car at same time; 3 cars a breast on 7m wide road.

Catastrophic injuries for Mick.

That's one cursed section of road, which I last cycled to do the Brown Stuff 400 in July 2016.

The cycling friendly road runs parallel to the north

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xuYdHfNJSUReYNkr9?g_st=a

Dr_Colossus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122168803#Comment_122168803

This is tragic and serious sympathies to the van driver having to deal with the consequences when it reads like there was nothing he could do and took all the usual precautions with the oncoming school bus and slowing down etc. You never know when someone can step out between parked vehicles.

20+ years ago I was hit on the back of the head by the wing mirror of a bus. Was standing on the footpath facing the opposite direction when the bus came kerb side to pick up passengers and clocked me with the large overhanging mirrors. Was some clatter and my knees buckled for an instant. My first instinct/thought was that a passing motorcyclist had swung a spare helmet at me for some reason.

magicbastarder

i've seen that happen twice; once in a very smiliar situation to yours, on o'connell street.

i've wondered how much difference putting a rubber bumper on a mirror which is at head height, would make.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169355#Comment_122169355

Have to agree, and these reports are hard to read as, what was the actual speed, not that he slowed down. Culturally he probably done nothing wrong but I see cars flying by school buses every day whereas a school bus should be a red flag effectively. Either way a young girl is gone and with great sadness there will be no lessons learned.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169732#Comment_122169732

recent buses bought by the NTA have cameras instead of mirrors

De Bhál

https://www.thejournal.ie/gardai-motor-insurance-app-6388338-May2024/

Under the new system, which was introduced in January, frontline gardaí have access to the information details of more than three million vehicles.

Following its introduction at the start of the year, the new system has led to the seizure of 7,307 vehicles. Some 1,840 vehicles were seized last month relating to no insurance.

magicbastarder

"Currently, about 50 vehicles a day are being seized. At this rate, some 18,000 vehicles would be seized this year – a fraction of the overall number of uninsured vehicles in Ireland."

that's true, if all other things remain equal - but if there's a significant uptick in the number of seizures, it might (hopefully!) drive people to insure their cars, i.e. the number of uninsured cars might drop.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122176948#Comment_122176948

Optimist: Most cars that are uninsured are off the road anyway, some not declared, some are classics etc. The remainder will plummet as roughly 2 a day in each county getting siezed is considerable, and the numbers will be greatly reduced. As an aside, when people are forking out for insurance, they hopefully will drive better to reduce costs etc.

Pessimist: Bangers are cheap, a load of cars coming through the auctions will keep it that way, and people will still take the risk knowing they can pay a good solicitor to give the auld, has to get to work, keeping the working poor down spiel or they simply don't care.

If the Gardai / Revenue were selling them to Breakers for parts only, then I would be happy but that's it. Better for the economy, loads of parts for aging cars that should be reasonably priced, better for the environment etc.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169946#Comment_122169946

Great idea

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177064#Comment_122177064

if they're actually seizing cars, the hassle has happened long before a solicitor gets involved.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177086#Comment_122177086

I think you underestimate how little some people will care, the inconvenience for some will be fleeting, Buy a banger for €300, even if you only got away with it for 6 months, let it get scrapped, you will have another for the same price that evening of DoneDeal and still be saving money compared to paying tax and insurance. Yes there are a few in Yellow Reg land Rovers dropping their kids off to school in South Dublin (I see some every morning going into the school beside work) who will be embarrassed if seen but it won't be their flagrant abuse and getting around VRT as well that shames them, even though they can clearly afford a decent car. They will suffer a bit more but are presumably affluent enough to get by as well. Loads around my home place do it. Not a high percentage but still a large number.

JMcL

I was dropping the daughter to an activity earlier in the week and the Guards had pulled a fairly high end looking Beemer in, nee-naw lights flashing. I was on the way back 5-10 minutes later by which time a tow-truck had rocked up. I was wondering if this was a no insurance case as it probably wouldn't get hauled off for speeding/being a run of the mill bell-end alone, nor was it blocking the thoroughfare.

Paddigol

Apparently 150,000 uninsured cars on our roads. Again, something that a dedicated roads policing unit could be tasked with tackling. The more you analyse it, the more it seems people are content with the roads being the wild west of modern society, where you can get away with behaviour that you'd never think of engaging in outside the car/ in a shop/ in a queue etc. All the while certain cheerleaders in the media and populist politicians push the 'war on motorists' nonsense.

zell12

National Highways has released videos, filmed through the window of an unmarked lorry cab by Warwickshire Police

A woman pictured driving a light blue Nissan while applying make-up.

A woman pictured on her phone and looking at a laptop while she attempts to drive a black Audi 😮

A man pictured eating chips and sipping a drink from McDonald's with no hands on the steering wheel as he tries to control a grey van on a busy road

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13457387/britains-worst-behaved-drivers-caught-camera.html

secman

On Belgard road today stopped at red lights at Airton road junction. Before we turn green there's a filter green from opposite direction to allow traffic to turn into the Belgard Retail park. That filter turns amber and then red and ours turns green to proceed through the junction. As ours turned green I proceeded to go through the junction and a large van came across our path and lo and behold there's a car behind it, who had to have gone through a red light.... it was a Driving instructor car with no learner driver in it, presumably the guy driving it is a driving instructor ☹️ ☹️

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178570#Comment_122178570

https://www.wlrfm.com/news/insurance-arrest-waterford-361439

…and this is what got lifted. Fscker caught for the 4th time THIS YEAR with no insurance. If it wouldn't be for the environmental impact they should strap him to a chair and force him to watch that car be crushed

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122189007#Comment_122189007

But there, you go, there is no fear, he had been caught 4 f*cking times and only on the last one was an appropriate punishment dealt out. I wouldn't say scrap but passed straight onto auction so he at least has to buy it back at market value. Not a petrol head, but that looks 2013 -2015 3 series, so if in good nick could be over 10k.

ARX

Some good news, if you can call it that:

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/meath/news/almost-30-motorists-caught-driving-in-meath-without-insurance-in-just-seven-days/a1476554631.html

magicbastarder

surely 'twenty seven' is as easy to type as 'almost 30'! or are the subs working to a style guide?

Shotser

At the lights in Dundrum village last night, Garda car passes through. The driver of the car following directly behind the Garda car as the phone in hand typing away. This morning on the way into the office, Garda roll through an amber light (they could/should have stopped) and were followed by another car, at which time it was definitely red. Even Garda "presence" does nothing to stop this behaviour. Another lad in a merc is stuck in the middle of the junction of Carysfort and Convent road (coming from Convent turning up Carysfort). His light was red but he hadn't noticed as he was looking at his phone, looks up to cars trying to squeeze past him.. decides to move once the pedestrian lights are green and the school traffic warden is standing in the middle of the crossing with all the school kids crossing.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122193476#Comment_122193476

Of all things, this gets my goat more than anything. Used to happen where I lived in Bray, the Lolipopper in Shankill was regularly skimmed and the two on the N11 near Stillorgan would regularly have people roll through as kids are crossing. It is a level of scumbaggery that I just can't deal with.

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122193554#Comment_122193554

I get a certain level of satisfaction stopping for the Lollipop lady and then watching the driver behind me in my rear view mirror huffing/puffing with frustration!

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122193476#Comment_122193476

I've nearly ended up as roadkill twice on the same roundabout with Guards looking on - first time I was left hooked while a pair of them sat in a car watching a gesture after the offender and a mouthed "WTF?" had no response. Last time a couple of weeks ago when some impatient prick in a van bullied his way through missing me by inches with another pair of guards in a car behind him.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122193554#Comment_122193554

Our local crossing had to have a second (male) volunteer in hi-vis to visibly stand on footpath as support to the lollipop person on road. Prior, there were motorists bamboozling through, shouting abuse in front of kids, etc.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122194706#Comment_122194706

It's times like that I go a bit right wing and wonder, should we really have gotten rid of the death penalty and should this be a crime worthy of it.