Increase in road deaths - questions need to be asked

jackboy

On my 40 minute drive home I know exactly where all the speed vans are likely to be, just where a speed limit goes from high to low. Easy to avoid getting caught although loads are getting caught in these spots all the time.

I can speed as much as I want for the other 99% of the way home with no chance of getting caught. The speed vans are just a sham, they are not there to reduce risk on the roads.

mrskinner

if you drive after dark you will see that some 10% of cars have defections lights.
This must be the easiest fault to police.

If the lights are defective does it follow that there will be other major defects in that car?

🚙 One Garda at traffic lights or motorway toll could have a huge effect in getting people to at least repair their lights?

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961671#Comment_121961671

They could park nearly anywhere in slow traffic and observe the 50% of drivers on the fone

Green Peter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961600#Comment_121961600

Have a look at the time lines of annual road deaths and when roads policing units were increased and you will see those figures dropped consistently to below 200 and started to rise again. We also have a growing population with a growing number of vehicles on the road. We need to keep ahead of it, in the 1970's road deaths were above 500 annually because there was little enforcement, drink driving was acceptable, the problem is it's creeping back in because it's not being enforced like it was before the economic crash. Dedicated members in roads policing is the answer, regular units are up the walls trying to deal with domestics, public order, crime and every other need the public deem a problem to them.

drury..

Weed and coke is a big problem now in small towns

Not much enforcement on drug driving

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961295#Comment_121961295

A bit harsh but it does make younger drivers stop to think about the speeds they're doing which is probably the overall gain

Presumably an exception is made for a stolen car

As many have alluded to here. Enforcement is key

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961400#Comment_121961400

I've had bunch of FCPNs issued based on helmet camera footage of drivers using their phones. I've never had to go to Court, presumably because drivers won't risk doubling of penalty points once they see that the evidence is clear.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961350#Comment_121961350

There's no GDPR issue in showing or giving dashcam or helmetcam footage to Gardai. You'll hear them frequently call for camera footage for serious incidents.

drury..

Renko the secret policeman

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961346#Comment_121961346

The vast majority of road deaths are absolutely avoidable, and are largely down to driver behaviours;

speeding, phoning , texting, seat belts, drink/drug driving.

How many of your family members are you volunteering to make up the quota of deaths that are going to happen no matter what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2tOye9DKdQ

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961400#Comment_121961400

An issue here with camera footage is thatbit is not evidence in itself. You need to sit and watch a garda write down your statement which is the evidence and your camera footage backs up your statement.

If you have footage of multiple instances of the laws being broken then each requires an individual statement.

Then you may not hear back from AGS on your reports so you've no idea if anything was actually done (and my suspicion in most cases is that nothing is done either because the garda hasn't the time or that their superiors disregard it because sure nobody was killed)

AndrewJRenko

Fatigue driving is a significant issue also

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2024/04/01/by-friday-im-so-tired-i-can-barely-see-straight-the-rise-of-long-distance-commuting-teachers/

Trampas

vision zero is a dream. The best will in the world having no fatalities is just impossible as long as their is humans involved.

I see reports on numbers caught drink and drug driving are out. They’ll not give more details around times or how much over the limit.

Phone use is crazy high. I find people on phones in their hands talking while driving a company vehicle the worse as they should have the equipment not to need to hold a phone.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961374#Comment_121961374

Is that correlation or causation?

I'm not against enforcement btw, but as it stands the RSA can't (or won't) tell us the most basic of information about the supposed Number 1 contributor to fatal collisions and their approach in addressing it - so how can you justify prioritising Enforcment over improved Training?

With the exception of mechanical failure or an act of god, drivers who have caused fatal collisions (often victims themselves), have broken some law or another. But how many of them were even aware of it, compared to those who actively flouted the law?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962487#Comment_121962487

Are you for real?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953876#Comment_121953876

if said by a person who both cycles and drives it carries weight.

It needs to be especially reinforced during podcasts and adverts on motoring, “Don’t forget always adjust your driving to the conditions present in the road: night-time, rain, visibility, frost, wind, narrow winding road”.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962505#Comment_121962505

No - it's a communications cock up.

You don't try and encourage people to drive safely past vulnerable road users and then immediately give those most likely to deliberately harm the VRU an excuse to do it.

Do it in separate twitter threads by all means but not in the same one (which is what they often do)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962523#Comment_121962523

it’s not an excuse, it’s to keep ALL road users out of harms way. I make no apologies about pointing out all factors needed to keep everyone safe. Every road user needs to appreciate the aspects needed to avoid by the other user to modify any behaviour as necessary, eg not passing red lights.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962499#Comment_121962499

How about addressing the question?

I'm in the US right now. Massive police presence. I can't drive to work without seeing at least one car pulled over every day. $490 for using a HOV lane. $866 for using a Disabled Parking space. $238-490 for Speeding.

Absolutely woeful driver training.

4X times the deaths of Ireland. Enforcement isn't working all that well here.

Thelonious Monk

Shane has a point here tbf

https://twitter.com/MikeMcKillen/status/1774720732439671165

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962544#Comment_121962544

I do observe US driving stats, which are terrible, and have seen bad pile-ups in roads, eg road from JFK to Manhattan. They let people who are not yet adults drive on roads. Years ago a lad I dated had got his original license when he was working on contract in US, said it was so easy to get it compared to Ireland.

And that was back in the day when I got my license and didn’t think it overly difficult here, especially that you could drive alone on a provisional until you felt ready to pass the test.but I used that time to get into good habits so that they would be instinctual on my actual test which I had no intention of going to the expense to repeat.

Anybody who wants to drive in US, simply drives.

tele2020

a lot of people I notice lately seem to have indicators that just don't work, or refuse to work or maybe the driver is a useless pr1ck who doesn't think he/she don't need to use it. Dash cams should be mandatory in this country , so that when an idiot turns left or right and for whatever reason you can't avoid him, your dashcam clears you and they must pay the damage and a huge fine for not using their indicator. Such a simple thing to use, but some people couldn't be bothered using them now.

lucalux

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962244#Comment_121962244

This drives me up the wall, driving in modern cars with handsfree and bluetooth and all mod cons (so to speak) and wrestling with the phone, steering wheel, and gearstick as if there was no other option

All ages as well, can't understand it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962599#Comment_121962599

To pass a test it must be in your muscle memory, it’s such an easy thing to do, a flick of the wrist. Why would you not bother?

Charles Babbage

Ross' article is cynical, which is what you would expect. He is sneering about calls for enforcement and talks about taking Gardai from the inner city in Dubin. The problem is that the present government have allowed the overall number of Gardaí to fall, while putting additional duties on them. They need more Gardaí overall and then the can both police Dublin 1 and have some on the road.

Drug/drink driving a significant problem and that will only be addressed by checkpoints.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0401/1441079-easter-roads/

My always taught me to be observant, like giving a glance to the front wheels of other cars as to what way they might be turning or pulling out. Also he told me about the possibility of a blow out and what happens. I was also “made” change the wheels of his big car, and check oil, change antifreeze, clean and adjust spark plugs, spray leads, coil & distributed cap. I got to know about cars before driving, this knowledge even carried forward to when I learned to fly light aircraft.

Thelonious Monk

Quelle surprise

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0401/1441079-easter-roads/

Daroxtar

There needs to be a major overhaul to enforcement and punishment for dangerous driving.

Double the amount of Gardai on the roads. Average speed cameras set up all over the country with no warning. Unmarked cars and vans all over, using video as evidence of offending.

Phone use should be treated like drink/drug driving- 6 months off the road, €1000 fine.

If you get a driving ban, mandatory 10 lessons and re-sit the test. Offend again, get double the punishment plus have a GPS tracker fitted to keep an eye on you for the next few years

Some of the apes driving around these days make me think the sooner AI takes over driving, the better for everyone.

ToweringPerformance

Thankfully our roads are a hell of a lot safer than they where when i started driving. Combined with the increase in road users we are doing really well.