Slow down day...again

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)

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

By all means, write to your local superintendent about that.

... But in the meantime, you can still take care not to speed on National Slow Down Day. It's not either/or.

I’m reading there are 45 dedicated mobile speed detection vans in the country.

That’s averaging about less then two vans (it’s 1.7) per county.

If the idiot who came round a corner on a rural road over the centre line because he was not in control of his vehicle, because he was going too fast, had slowed down to an appropriate speed he would not have taken off my side mirror. That is now costing me €120 to replace, plus a 1.5 hour round trip to get it done. Hopefully he did a similar amount of damage to himself.

On the other hand, another few inches and the car would have been sideswiped, so I suppose I should be grateful. But god forbid anyone should suggest people should slow down, because what about...

I have lived in a rural area for 12 years and there are hedges on the sides of all the roads. Not once have I had reason to think that they are deadly. They're pretty static, only moving a couple of inches in high winds. How are they such a threat to my life? Quite concerned now that I have gone 12 years not knowing that hedges can somehow kill me. I walk and drive past them all the time!

They're fairly mixed but hawthorn would be the majority. They do of course grow but they are cut in the spring and autumn by the landowners. They were all cut a few weeks ago and everything looks lovely and neat and trim now. Can you show any examples of hedging that has grown across a roadway? I can't say that it's something I've ever witnessed except maybe after a storm when some tree or hedge limbs have been damaged.

It's almost certain that someone owns the land where you are seeing hedges growing out across the roadway. The landowner is responsible for ensuring that their hedging does not pose a danger to people. If you feel that such hedging is posing a safety risk, I would urge you to report it to the relevant authority. At least you can be satisfied that you've done your bit.