Meanwhile on the Roads...

zell12 · 23-02-2026 06:25PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124258841#Comment_124258841

My sentiments exactly. One gets the notion that slaughter by vehicle is normalised

Paddigol · 23-02-2026 06:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259861#Comment_124259861

"shur it cudda been any one of us"

Seth Brundle · 23-02-2026 06:36PM

Well, the RSA continue to meet my expectations of them with more thoughts and urging…

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has expressed “deep sadness and concern” following the fatal collisions across the island of Ireland over the weekend.
The RSA said these tragedies “come against the backdrop of a difficult year for road safety”.
There were 190 deaths on Irish roads in 2025, up from 175 the year before.
The RSA said the loss of life on road this weekend is a “stark reminder that the risk of serious and fatal collisions remains ever-present for all road users”.
Michael Rowland, Director of Research, Standards, and Assurance for the RSA remarked that “any loss of life on our roads is one too many” and added that “our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time”.
The RSA meanwhile has urged all road users to “exercise care and responsibility when travelling”, particularly during weekends when traffic volumes can increase and over longer distances or unfamiliar routes.

They are such a pathetic waste of money!

Teenager killed in Navan hit-and-run named locally as Mia Lily Keogh O'Keefe

Allinall · 23-02-2026 06:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259898#Comment_124259898

Mocking them expressing sympathy with the bereaved families is not cool.

Seth Brundle · 23-02-2026 06:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259919#Comment_124259919

I wasnt mocking them - they are a pathetic excuse for a quango! I'd rather they actually did something to reduce road deaths through improved road safety rather then their continuous offerings of thoughts and prayers along with urging people to not break the law!

CramCycle · 23-02-2026 07:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259919#Comment_124259919

Not what was happening there. This is an organisation, whose statutory powers aside, have the influential powers to make a meaningful change to society's view of road safety and usage, but somehow, seems to have done nothing except piss away money on Hi Vis vests that don't even reflect light, spend an inordinate amount of money with one company in Enda Kenny's back garden, give out lights that are not visible at more than 30m (do you know how hard it is to make lights that ineffective anymore), and have over seen an increase in road deaths. It is unfathomable how they haven't come out guns blazing to impress upon the public and politicians the things that may have saved some of those lives, but no, not even a peep in that regard.

khamilton · 23-02-2026 07:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259919#Comment_124259919

Pointing out that the statutory body with responsibility for road safety's response is quite literally "thoughts and prayers" isn't mocking them for expressing sympathy, it's expressing contempt for their complete abrogation of their legal responsibilities to help prevent the occurences that they are so quick and ready to offer thoughts and prayers for.

BP_RS3813 · 24-02-2026 07:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259807#Comment_124259807

The issue is most drive and will have the 'oh we all make mistakes' or 'it could have been anyone' attitude.

If a lunatic with a gun (insert relevant example for Ireland) shot someone we instantly say restrict it. The punishment would most certainly fit the crime since nearly everyone doesn't legally hold a gun.

We should treat people driving as they are - driving a two tonn weapon and not just a vehicle most people own.

magicbastarder · 24-02-2026 09:40AM

as i've mentioned several times before, essentially often the only difference between drivers who have killed someone, and thousands of other drivers on the road every day, is chance.

in one strict sense, there's not much difference in what one driver does, let's say overtaking around a blind bend, and the hundreds of other drivers who do that every day, is that one falls 'victim' to chance and for them, they hit a pedestrian they didn't see. one becomes guilty of a life-ending crime, the others are 'just' assholes.

i've wondered if, instead of the approach of ads showing 'oh my god, look how bad you'll feel if you take another person's life' that they've tried over the last ten or twenty years, they could have an ad showing a driver doing something like the above, overtaking around a blind bend (with no consequences), and then repeating the same shot but with them hitting a pedestrian. and then repeating the first sequence with 'YES, YOU'RE THE ASSHOLE' or similar prominently displayed on screen.

just have ads with drivers taking 'just that little chance' but calling them out for being assholes. ads showing drivers running a red on a pedestrian crossing, with a message 'yeah, you're the person everyone else thinks is a prick'. don't appeal to their sense of shame, appeal to their vanity.

i like to think that if they saw those ads enough that message would embed. unfortunately, i'm not naive enough on that front.

smacl · 24-02-2026 09:52AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124261098#Comment_124261098

If a lunatic with a gun (insert relevant example for Ireland) shot someone we instantly say restrict it. The punishment would most certainly fit the crime since nearly everyone doesn't legally hold a gun.

Unless said lunatic was a barrister of course in which case he'd probably get away with it ;)

Paddigol · 24-02-2026 09:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124261198#Comment_124261198

Completely agree. It’s all about perception - people don’t perceive their driving as dangerous. People perceive ‘others’ as the problem. People perceive the responsibility for reducing incidents with ‘others’.

CramCycle · 24-02-2026 10:11AM

Got overtaken this morning coming up to a fairly blind bend on the road. She wasn't speeding, 3 kids in the car, gave me loads of space but as she passed, all I could think was, if a car comes round the bend, either she or me hasn't a hope. She pulled in a km up the road to get something from the shop, and I politely said, you shouldn't pass coming up to a bend, and there was just a look of ???? on her face, as in what was I talking about. I didn't stop to explain, but this is what @magicbastarder is referring too, only she isn't an asshole, she is just ignorant of the risk. An asshole to me does it intentionally knowing the risk to me, but an ignorant person thinks they are doing the right thing, the concept of wrong doing isn't there. they may have even heard of an accident in such a scenario, and they will say with a straight face, what were they driving like that for.

magicbastarder · 24-02-2026 10:15AM

maybe us boardserati could put together a pitch for an ad and present it to the RSA for consideration? 'many years experience of dealing with social media and attitudes to road safety'

as per cram's comments, a clip of someone overtaking around a blind bend but an allcaps 'WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS' flashed up instead?

Wildly Boaring · 24-02-2026 10:25AM

Saw a mother on school run blast straight through a pedestrian crossing this morning. With several kids waiting to cross.
MB makes this point very clearly

Secondly I've been questioning Meath for 3 or 4 years on this decision not to put a pedestrian crossing here - instead they say it's a raised table to facilitate disabled people. Any impatient driver in the morning can just shove through the all the kids trying to cross.

In light of Navan tragedy i sent another mail this morning. I'm sure I'll get the brush off as usual.

Paddigol · 24-02-2026 10:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124261297#Comment_124261297

Jesus. What do you want, like? To delay people getting places?? Really really important people going to really really important places??? So selfish.

When a blind spot is so large that it becomes most of the visual pane, what's that called?

Seth Brundle · 24-02-2026 12:48PM

Selected quotes from the linked article…

A Galway councillor has called for a “no confidence” vote and a major overhaul of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), claiming its education campaigns place responsibility on vulnerable road users rather than on driver behaviour.
The motion also originally asked councillors to declare that the local authority had “no confidence in the RSA”, and to demand that recommendations from the 2024 Indecon report be implemented immediately.
He added that without enforcement and clearer limits on driver behaviour, public appeals alone would not reduce deaths.
About three to four times a year, particularly around holidays, marketing is pushed by the RSA encouraging drives to slow down. “It's a pointless exercise trying to appeal to people's good nature to slow down. It goes against human nature.”
Cllr Curran said at least three other local authorities had raised similar concerns with the RSA but received what he called a “copy and paste” response.

Galway councillor claims RSA messaging amounts to ‘victim blaming’ – ‘Children are not killed because of a lack of high-vis vests’ | Irish Independent

Macy0161 · 24-02-2026 01:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124259919#Comment_124259919

A functioning Road Safety organisation would be coming out calling for significant investment in cameras, anpr, a user portal for camera uploads and a system/ personnel/ legislation to support all of this. A call to arms to tackle our roads culture once and for all. Instead - thoughts, prayers and urging.

Seth Brundle · 25-02-2026 12:06PM

A case of careless driving causing serious harm was heard in Dublin's Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. The accused drove his car through a red light at a pedestrian crossing in Malahide and knocked down a female escooter user who was crossing the road.

The woman (32) suffered multiple spinal fractures, a fractured leg and a collapsed lung in the wake of the incident. She required two surgeries

The offence of careless driving causing serious harm carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to €10,000. There is no mandatory driving disqualification associated with it. His legal team have asked the court to not ban him because his job as a bus driver would be affected.

However, it was this sentence from the article that annoys me…

Defence counsel said the woman “came very quickly from the side and went quickly through the pedestrian crossing”. Trifonov did not see her but he “did take a risk, he did go through a red light and he hit her”, Lynam said.

The defence counsel is trying to blame the woman for suddenly appearing and crossing a road while there was a red light.

Judge asked not to disqualify motorist who knocked down e-scooter rider – The Irish Times

Seth Brundle · 25-02-2026 02:19PM

I'm curious as to whether this was down to parenting…

Louth gardai issue warning after 8-year-old stopped on e-scooter doing 30kmp | Irish Independent

Paddigol · 25-02-2026 03:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124263990#Comment_124263990

The comment doesn't annoy me. It's his job to pull every level to mitigate punishment meted out to his client. What does annoy me is the fact that too many judges have indulged that kind of arm-chancing. A lawyer would arguably be negligent to to raise those circumstances given the eagerness of the judiciary to accept it as mitigating circumstances.

zell12 · 25-02-2026 04:14PM

The Irish Times view on mobile use by drivers: a deadly habit – The Irish Times

Mobile use is one of a number of behaviours – along with speeding, drinking and drug use – which have pushed up road deaths and injuries in recent years. With figures showing that delays and periods when vehicles are static on roads like the M50 are rising, the temptation to glance at the mobile – or worse – is rising. Drivers are not getting the message.

or NT The fears that mobile phone behaviour while driving is worsening | Newstalk

Tippman24 · 25-02-2026 09:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124258876#Comment_124258876

You are correct in that. Your period of being barred from driving commences with the issuing of a notice from the RSA. date of commencement is 14 days from the date of that letter, which the letter will specify with a date of commencement. If a person pays the FPN s/he avoids an endorcement on their licence. There is also legislation in place stating that if notice is paid and the driver is caught within a period of 5 Years (?) with similar low levels of alcohol, the matter is straight to Court.

p15574 · 26-02-2026 09:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264542#Comment_124264542

Surely legislation or something could eliminate it spurious arguments like this, like the way the defence in rape cases isn't allowed bring up the clothes the victim was wearing any more?

beggars_bush · 26-02-2026 09:52AM

At this stage you would think every school in Ireland would have speed control bumps and clear speed reduction signs along with a pedestrian crossing if they are needed, but no

I've noticed some counties installing these long coloured speed bumps lately but then you drive into a neighbouring county and nothing

zell12 · 26-02-2026 10:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124264328#Comment_124264328

'gardai said escooters should only be used by those over sixteen' not must, required, prohibited, but "should" 🙄 https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2026/0225/1560482-louth-e-scooter/

Paddigol · 26-02-2026 11:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266105#Comment_124266105

It's a very fine line legislating around conduct of criminal trials given the fact that we are after all talking about someone who hasn't been convicted of any offence and is entitled to full defend themselves. So lawyers will always push every door they can find. What we really need is a clear line of jurisprudence from the higher courts which would effectively tie the hands of lower court judges and render raising the argument pointless. But of course nobody it would seem, especially those who drive everywhere and in top end Audis/ Beamers and Mercs, gives two s**ts about doing anything about improving road safety if it would discommode motorists.

We've all seen what can be done when the general groundswell of public sentiment demands it. That's just not there.

hans aus dtschl · 26-02-2026 11:25AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266126#Comment_124266126

NTA safe routes to school scheme is seeing rollout across the country but it takes time, some areas are after improving a lot but some areas still have nothing. Some local authorities are less proactive than others too

fat bloke · 26-02-2026 11:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266324#Comment_124266324

Our primary school is due cycling infrastructure as part of active travel and would you believe parents and staff are vehemently against it.

Because?

Parking.

Paddigol · 26-02-2026 11:59AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266363#Comment_124266363

That's the attitude that I keep referring to when I say that the will just isn't there. Carnage after tragedy, we'll wring our hands, offer thoughts and prayers and look to some other grouping to blame until the news cycle moves on, but we won't actually make any sacrifices ourselves, no matter how small and easy they might be. In fact we won't even entertain the suggestions and consider the arguments and evidence - we'll kick back hard immediately and organise online petitions.

hans aus dtschl · 26-02-2026 12:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124266363#Comment_124266363

Yeah I'm not surprised tbh. I've found teachers and parents dropping kids in general to be surprisingly negative about anything traffic/transport safety related. Just anecdotally the schools near me are a major part of the "car culture" issue. Many people genuinely seem to believe that 500m is too far for children to walk to the school gate, and seem to believe that driving/parking on the footpaths during school pick-up and drop-off is normal. Some of the public consultation responses I've seen have also been very entertaining in that regard. So yeah I'm not surprised whatsoever tbh

Meanwhile on the Roads...

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