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How are more people not killed on our Roads

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  • 09-11-2018 8:54pm
    #1
    imme
    Registered Users Posts: 3,200 ✭✭✭


    How is it that multiples of those killed on Ireland's roads not killed every year.

    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    Vehicles are speeding more in urban areas, taking chances that shouldn't be taken, travelling in lanes that they shouldn't be using.

    Cyclists are cycling faster than ever, taking chances they shouldn't be taking, cycling on footpaths, cycling without lights or sufficient illumination.

    Pedestrians are crossing where they shouldn't be crossing.

    How are many more people not killed on Irish roads.


«1345678

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    #2
    SEPT 23 1989
    Registered Users Posts: 43,028 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    We can only try our best


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    #3
    gw80
    Registered Users Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭gw80


    imme wrote: »
    How is it that multiples of those killed on Ireland's roads not killed every year.

    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    Vehicles are speeding more in urban areas, taking chances that shouldn't be taken, travelling in lanes that they shouldn't be using.

    Cyclists are cycling faster than ever, taking chances they shouldn't be taking, cycling on footpaths, cycling without lights or sufficient illumination.

    Pedestrians are crossing where they shouldn't be crossing.

    How are many more people not killed on Irish roads.
    Luck of the irish?


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    #4
    TallGlass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭TallGlass


    158 is too many people, 1 is too many.


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    imme wrote: »
    How is it that multiples of those killed on Ireland's roads not killed every year.

    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    Vehicles are speeding more in urban areas, taking chances that shouldn't be taken, travelling in lanes that they shouldn't be using.

    Cyclists are cycling faster than ever, taking chances they shouldn't be taking, cycling on footpaths, cycling without lights or sufficient illumination.

    Pedestrians are crossing where they shouldn't be crossing.

    How are many more people not killed on Irish roads.

    Your glass is half-empty.


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    #6
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    TallGlass wrote: »
    158 is too many people, 1 is too many.

    Unfortunately it's never going to be zero as people are stupid and do stupid things.

    Unfortunately mistakes are made and this can be as simple as walking out and not looking like many do.

    More traffic is probably cutting the number down as less likely to kill as traveling at lower speeds in built up areas at peak times.


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    #7
    ahnowbrowncow
    Registered Users Posts: 2,565 ✭✭✭ahnowbrowncow


    imme wrote: »
    How is it that multiples of those killed on Ireland's roads not killed every year.

    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    Vehicles are speeding more in urban areas, taking chances that shouldn't be taken, travelling in lanes that they shouldn't be using.

    Cyclists are cycling faster than ever, taking chances they shouldn't be taking, cycling on footpaths, cycling without lights or sufficient illumination.

    Pedestrians are crossing where they shouldn't be crossing.

    How are many more people not killed on Irish roads.


    How do you they're doing these things more than before? People have always made bad decisions.


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    #8
    TheValeyard
    Registered Users Posts: 12,238 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »
    We can only try our best

    I'm doing my part!!

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



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    #9
    TallGlass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭TallGlass


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Unfortunately it's never going to be zero as people are stupid and do stupid things.

    Unfortunately mistakes are made and this can be as simple as walking out and not looking like many do.

    More traffic is probably cutting the number down as less likely to kill as traveling at lower speeds in built up areas at peak times.

    I agree with what your saying, 158 people is still to many people killed on our road network. What I meant by 1 person, is that 1 person is still family to someone.


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    #10
    Mint Sauce
    Registered Users Posts: 29,294 ✭✭✭✭Mint Sauce


    Beacuse the Go Safe Vans are saving lifes.

    :rolleyes:


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    #11
    Samuel T. Cogley
    Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    Is it possible that speed isn't the massive danger people have made it out to be and perhaps, just perhaps we'd be better off focusing on people not paying attention to the ones paying attention and doing slightly over the speed limit when driving to the conditions. Personally I'd like to see us follow the UK with 6 points and a €200 fine for phone use behind the wheel.


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    #12
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,363 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    ahnowbrowncow wrote: »
    How do you they're doing these things more than before? People have always made bad decisions.

    Did you accidentally a word ?


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    #13
    Giveaway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 382 ✭✭Giveaway


    Peaked at 640 in 1972 and has been declining since despite an extra million in population and probably a tripling of vehicles on the road since.
    Due to a combination of better car safety, better roads, better driver behaviour.
    Driver behaviour is very good in Ireland. One should try driving in the Phillippines or a southern africa country. that would open your eyes


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    #14
    PauloMN
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional North East Moderators Posts: 10,857 Mod ✭✭✭✭PauloMN


    imme wrote: »
    How is it that multiples of those killed on Ireland's roads not killed every year.

    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    Vehicles are speeding more in urban areas, taking chances that shouldn't be taken, travelling in lanes that they shouldn't be using.

    Cyclists are cycling faster than ever, taking chances they shouldn't be taking, cycling on footpaths, cycling without lights or sufficient illumination.

    Pedestrians are crossing where they shouldn't be crossing.

    How are many more people not killed on Irish roads.

    Road engineering much better than in the past, same with car safety. Vast majority of cyclists now wear helmets compared to when I grew up. Penalty points system has helped somewhat also.

    If you had today's volume of traffic but with safety/roads/cycling from 30 years ago, there would be far, far more death on the roads.


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    #15
    marketty
    Registered Users Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭marketty


    Only 20 years ago in 1998 it was 458. Amazing how far we've come in that time with the culture shift around drink driving, vehicle safety including NCT, and infrastructure improvements including the motorway network which was basically non-existent back then. And despite the increase in cars on the road and presumably an increase in the average mileage with so many long commutes nowadays. And of course the introduction of the biggest distraction to ever appear in a car, the smartphone. Just imagine what we could do if the laws on phone use were actually enforced, we'd surely get it below 100 deaths.


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    #16
    BarryD2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,732 ✭✭✭BarryD2


    imme wrote: »
    In 2017 158 people were killed on Ireland's roads.

    A lot of it is down to luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We've all made mistakes when driving, overtaken without sufficient margin for error etc., and got away with it. Forgot to look at a dangerous junction, got away with it. A mental note is made and stars counted. Others not so.

    Fact is, you could be a great driver, safe as houses and be wiped out tonight by someone coming around a bend on the wrong side, the other driver having fallen asleep or having a row with the kids in the back. Or you might have arrived at that bend 5 seconds earlier or 5 seconds later and nothing would have happened, other than a fright and shouted curse.

    It all makes a bit of a nonsense of road safety campaigns and the seemingly compelling need for safety agencies to keep improving on their records with ever tighter legislation.

    A driver may be tootling along with 3 or 4 pints on them, fully aware of it and taking great care, as safe as houses. Another might be stone cold sober but distracted and cause carnage.


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    #17
    QuintusFabius
    Closed Accounts Posts: 118 ✭✭QuintusFabius


    It's amazing all right, I often wonder the same about airline crashes, I would think there would be more ... maybe someone is looking out for us ?


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    #18
    4068ac1elhodqr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,586 ✭✭✭4068ac1elhodqr


    QuintusFabius wrote: »
    It's amazing all right, I often wonder the same about airline crashes, I would think there would be more ... maybe someone is looking out for us ?

    Yes, it's Mr.Autopilot.

    When the robots take over the labourious task of driving in the 2030's, the numbers of accidents may lower to zero, or near zero.


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    #19
    Fr_Dougal
    Registered Users Posts: 9,167 ✭✭✭Fr_Dougal


    Traffic congestion is bringing down the number of deaths.


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    #20
    paleoperson
    Registered Users Posts: 3,522 ✭✭✭paleoperson


    Something that always scares me out is trying to pull out from a line of stopped cars when there's a flow of traffic fast speeding traffic coming along the line next to it. Particularly if there's a bend so you can't see them from far away and particularly again if it's raining and/or at night. What if the engine conked out as you were trying pull out? If it's lashing rain I'd try to avoid it as much as possible, even sometimes if it meant taking a long way around.


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    #21
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,838 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Fr_Dougal wrote: »
    Traffic congestion is bringing down the number of deaths.

    The excise duty on fuel too.


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    #22
    vargoo
    Registered Users Posts: 737 ✭✭✭vargoo


    Was heading into work early one weekend morning and came upon a crashed car, it had hit a phone pole and was sitting on its side, lovely sez I, me first on the scene, a nice dead body to start the day....but luckily not to be, some drunkard (I'm guessing but no doubt) had climbed out the window and done a runner, left car in the middle of the road.

    Thinking after maybe it would have been better if he had been dead in it, he'd hit a pole on "MY" side so he could have hit me, theirs lots of drunks driving around at wk-ends, it never went away. Scumbags really.


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    #23
    prunudo
    Registered Users Posts: 7,124 ✭✭✭prunudo


    Advanced medical care will be a factor too. Injuries that would have lead to death 20 or 30 years ago are now survivable because of what the advanced paramedics can do at the accident scene.
    If you ever get a chance to watch Air Ambulance ER its an amazing insight to what can be done on the side of the road.


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    #24
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,467 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    Over a third of people killed on the roads were not wearing seat belts, pure Darwinites (possibly sewercides I'd say)...
    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/over-a-third-of-drivers-killed-weren-t-wearing-seat-belts-1.2317174


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    #25
    TallGlass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭TallGlass


    Fr_Dougal wrote: »
    Traffic congestion is bringing down the number of deaths.

    Well yes more but you'll see a peak in the likes of cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclist deaths.


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    #26
    AmberGold
    Registered Users Posts: 1,284 ✭✭✭AmberGold


    Motorists crashing into and running over cyclists causing serious injuries and deaths is increasing in Ireland.

    How anyone driving with due care can hit a cyclist is beyond belief. We need to enforce serious penalties for using phones while driving. Put down the phones people!!


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    #27
    Richard Hillman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    Health and safety gone mad, is what it is.


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    #28
    Dakota Dan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    vargoo wrote: »
    Was heading into work early one weekend morning and came upon a crashed car, it had hit a phone pole and was sitting on its side, lovely sez I, me first on the scene, a nice dead body to start the day....but luckily not to be, some drunkard (I'm guessing but no doubt) had climbed out the window and done a runner, left car in the middle of the road.

    Thinking after maybe it would have been better if he had been dead in it, he'd hit a pole on "MY" side so he could have hit me, theirs lots of drunks driving around at wk-ends, it never went away. Scumbags really.

    What made you think he was drunk or that it was even a he?


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    #29
    paleoperson
    Registered Users Posts: 3,522 ✭✭✭paleoperson


    AmberGold wrote: »
    Motorists crashing into and running over cyclists causing serious injuries and deaths is increasing in Ireland.

    How anyone driving with due care can hit a cyclist is beyond belief. We need to enforce serious penalties for using phones while driving. Put down the phones people!!

    Beyond belief? Hardly, with what I see cyclists doing sometimes I'm slightly shocked I haven't seen them going under a bus or similar already.

    Tiny little gaps and they're willing to cycle through them based on the theory that shur the car probably won't move a bit more to the left in the lane, saving a half a minute.


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    #30
    doolox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭doolox


    One little thing I have noticed having avoided 3 motor bike speeders today and many more over my 40 years on the road.

    Car drivers could use motorways more wisely by not doing 70 kph in front of HGVS as I have often seen, pushing them out in front of traffic doing 100 kph or forcing them to toddle along within inches of the slow people, terrifying me as I watch in the middle or outer lane.....

    People could move off on amber flashing after red lights when there is NO NONE one the cross way...it is legal and allowed, you do not have to stay stopped unless there is someone one the crosswalk. You do not have to wait for green.

    Two cyclists I have seen today toddling through red lights and nearly getting hit by traffic in the right. You have no immunity from injury or death and I do not want to be picking up the pieces if you fall foul of opposing traffic by your fallicious actions.

    I cannot afford to hang around if you are hit by traffic. I am self employed, need every cent that I earn and will keep going even if someone gets hit. I cannot lose money and lose my house over someone else's stupidity.


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    #31
    SimonTemplar
    Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭SimonTemplar


    The using phone while driving is especially bad as I've had a number of very close calls from other drivers texting. I saw this recently and I thought it really hammered home how deluded people are if they think they can text and drive:

    https://www.facebook.com/NSTruckingSafetyAssociation/videos/1985133418169798/


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