The Government has imposed speed limit reductions on several types of road since the Tipperary tragedies.
100kph on national secondary goes to 80kph and 50kph goes to 30 kph in urban areas
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/0906/1403640-speed-limits/
Someone interviewed on RTE said that this alone will not fix the problem. Most of the risk lies on these roads and there are many dangerous features such as unmarked junctions, very sharp corners and agricultural machinery use. This all has to be addressed.
The 2 Tipperary crashes happened on secondary roads.
Here you have a government looking for some 'easy' measure and thry haven't the least interest in road safety. There are enough laws, they need to enforce the.
Enforcement is a problem all over the island.
Quote from: armaghniac on September 06, 2023, 09:04:24 PM
Here you have a government looking for some 'easy' measure and thry haven't the least interest in road safety. There are enough laws, they need to enforce the.
They have to start somewhere. And the initial measures were easy to implement. More thought still needs given and I would like to think that there is more measures to come.
Speed cameras are just a revenue grab and probably don't prevent any deaths
Put undercover Guards on the road with dash cams and hammer people for dangerous driving
I was in Ireland in June and a lunatic overtook us at high speed on a very dangerous stretch of road. A mile up the road there's 2 Guards bagging people at 3:00 PM in the afternoon. My driver got bagged (and passed) but the fvcker who passed us wasn't
Id say speed and dangerous driving accounts for way more deaths than drinking and driving
I regularly breech the speed limit and the reason I don't I'm honest is that I know I'll never get caught. Proper policing on all roads is the key.
Quote from: whitey on September 06, 2023, 10:21:01 PM
Speed cameras are just a revenue grab and probably don't prevent any deaths
Put undercover Guards on the road with dash cams and hammer people for dangerous driving
I was in Ireland in June and a lunatic overtook us at high speed on a very dangerous stretch of road. A mile up the road there's 2 Guards bagging people at 3:00 PM in the afternoon. My driver got bagged (and passed) but the fvcker who passed us wasn't
Id say speed and dangerous driving accounts for way more deaths than drinking and driving
I don't know the stats Whitey.
But I've been saying for years that I'd much rather take my chances in a collision with a drink driver than a speeding driver.
It has become one of life's curiosities that there are now so many people who will utterly condemn the former as inexcusable, but will themselves plough through built up areas at 50mph with absolute confidence that their "skill" will trump any bad luck that comes their away.
Quote from: Itchy on September 06, 2023, 10:48:19 PM
I regularly breech the speed limit and the reason I don't I'm honest is that I know I'll never get caught. Proper policing on all roads is the key.
The police can't be everywhere all the time. But you know what tends to be everywhere all the time? Children crossing roads in built up areas. and many of them every bit as oblivious and / or uncaring as you that they're sharing that road with people who don't give a f**k.
Some of the spots with sped vans are a joke
There is one near my home place coming out of a 60km limit from a roundabout.
Like you'd do well to hit that speed anyway...those vans are often in very pointless places I find.
Phone use while driving has to be a factor. I see tons of people looking down at their phones while driving. It's a hard one to prove though in the event of an accident.
There are also things that only happen in Ireland
https://extra.ie/2023/01/16/news/simon-harris-sulky-race
A nice start would be mandatory 20mph zones in all built up areas. Wales have just recently introduced something similar.
Quote from: general_lee on September 07, 2023, 10:48:40 AM
A nice start would be mandatory 20mph zones in all built up areas. Wales have just recently introduced something similar.
Intelligent speed assist is already installed on new vehicles.
It wouldnt take a massive stretch of the imagination to invisage a time when vehicles entering certain speed zones will be automatically configured not to break set speed limit unless some mitigating factor.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/future-tech/eus-new-mandatory-speed-limiter-rule-good-idea
Interesting stats
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/ireland-road-safety.pdf
Given the increase in the number of cars and the number of KM driven per year, it's amazing that road deaths are 1/3 of where they were 30 years ago
For refernnce:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20May%202023.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,Island%20to%2026.2%20in%20Mississippi.
Quote from: whitey on September 08, 2023, 02:01:03 PM
Interesting stats
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/ireland-road-safety.pdf
Given the increase in the number of cars and the number of KM driven per year, it's amazing that road deaths are 1/3 of where they were 30 years ago
For refernnce:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20May%202023.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,Island%20to%2026.2%20in%20Mississippi.
Drink driving would have been more of a feature them and the quality of the main roads has improved. Secondary roads still cause most deaths.
Quote from: whitey on September 08, 2023, 02:01:03 PM
Interesting stats
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/ireland-road-safety.pdf
Given the increase in the number of cars and the number of KM driven per year, it's amazing that road deaths are 1/3 of where they were 30 years ago
For refernnce:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20May%202023.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,Island%20to%2026.2%20in%20Mississippi.
That's in America, Irish roads are much safer than the US and at their lowest deaths were around one tenth of when I learned to drive given that the population had gone up by two-thirds.
Quote from: seafoid on September 08, 2023, 03:04:29 PM
Drink driving would have been more of a feature them and the quality of the main roads has improved. Secondary roads still cause most deaths.
The deaths are on secondary roads, but it is bad driving that causes most deaths.
Quote from: armaghniac on September 08, 2023, 05:17:43 PM
Quote from: whitey on September 08, 2023, 02:01:03 PM
Interesting stats
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/ireland-road-safety.pdf
Given the increase in the number of cars and the number of KM driven per year, it's amazing that road deaths are 1/3 of where they were 30 years ago
For refernnce:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20May%202023.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,Island%20to%2026.2%20in%20Mississippi.
That's in America, Irish roads are much safer than the US and at their lowest deaths were around one tenth of when I learned to drive given that the population had gone up by two-thirds.
Quote from: seafoid on September 08, 2023, 03:04:29 PM
Drink driving would have been more of a feature them and the quality of the main roads has improved. Secondary roads still cause most deaths.
The deaths are on secondary roads, but it is bad driving that causes most deaths.
Life in the US, see crazy driving on the freeways all the time. But on similar roads to Irish ritual ones I rarely see the kind of mad overtaking and speeding you would get back home.
Quote from: armaghniac on September 08, 2023, 05:17:43 PM
Quote from: whitey on September 08, 2023, 02:01:03 PM
Interesting stats
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/ireland-road-safety.pdf
Given the increase in the number of cars and the number of KM driven per year, it's amazing that road deaths are 1/3 of where they were 30 years ago
For refernnce:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20May%202023.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,Island%20to%2026.2%20in%20Mississippi.
That's in America, Irish roads are much safer than the US and at their lowest deaths were around one tenth of when I learned to drive given that the population had gone up by two-thirds.
Quote from: seafoid on September 08, 2023, 03:04:29 PM
Drink driving would have been more of a feature them and the quality of the main roads has improved. Secondary roads still cause most deaths.
The deaths are on secondary roads, but it is bad driving that causes most deaths.
There are still many dangerous features such as unmarked junctions, very sharp bends, intensive use by agricultural machinery. This is also relevant.
Another thing to be considered when comparing todays stats with from those of 1990 are the safety features that now come standard on many cars
Airbags, Anti Lock Brakes, Blind Spot monitoring. Lane assist, predictive Cruise control just ti name a few.
Phones are a huge issue.
The road death toll peaked at 568 in 1978. It fell to 130 in 2021 and rose to 155 the year after.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_road_traffic_accidents_deaths_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland_by_year
Most of the fall from 1978 to 2021 is the result of a lot of work on mitigants such as seatbelts, drink driving vigilance and all the other stuff discussed above.
But that is over and now it is going to mean a lot of work from both the driving community and the Govt to address the more difficult and probably more expensive risks remaining.
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 09, 2023, 08:00:18 AM
Phones are a huge issue.
You did have to question how people are still using phones today when 99% of cars are equipped with Bluetooth technology to allow you to chat hands free, I can even text hands free should I require it and the phone even reads out the text!!
I was done about 15 years ago or more, phone in hand driving, the phone was never in hands again, I think texting is the biggest distraction
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on September 09, 2023, 12:15:09 PM
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 09, 2023, 08:00:18 AM
Phones are a huge issue.
You did have to question how people are still using phones today when 99% of cars are equipped with Bluetooth technology to allow you to chat hands free, I can even text hands free should I require it and the phone even reads out the text!!
I was done about 15 years ago or more, phone in hand driving, the phone was never in hands again, I think texting is the biggest distraction
I agree. anything that reduces the concentration on driving increases the risk. Texting requires the concentration that should be on the road.
Quote from: seafoid on September 08, 2023, 06:05:50 PM
There are still many dangerous features such as unmarked junctions, very sharp bends, intensive use by agricultural machinery. This is also relevant.
If the government would also state a complete review of road signs, road markings and a restriction on youths driving machinery then their present initiative would be more credible.
Quote from: armaghniac on September 09, 2023, 02:31:37 PM
Quote from: seafoid on September 08, 2023, 06:05:50 PM
There are still many dangerous features such as unmarked junctions, very sharp bends, intensive use by agricultural machinery. This is also relevant.
If the government would also state a complete review of road signs, road markings and a restriction on youths driving machinery then their present initiative would be more credible.
It needs a system response. Everybody knows at least one person who died in a road accident.
Provisional licences also need to be tightened up.
I would love to see an analysis of the numbers broken down by cause.
Parents also need to step in here
Why would you allow a young and inexperienced driver get a BMW or Audi? Those types of cars are way too powerful for the roads you find in rural Ireland
Quote from: whitey on September 09, 2023, 03:02:21 PM
Parents also need to step in here
Why would you allow a young and inexperienced driver get a BMW or Audi? Those types of cars are way too powerful for the roads you find in rural Ireland
Great point.
Our 20 year old wanted to drive on the motorway in our car which far more powerful than his. He got up to 150 kph with the family in the car. That was the last time.
If you look at a mortality table 18-23 year old males are more likely to die than 30 year olds, because of accidents. It's different for females.
Quote from: seafoid on September 09, 2023, 03:46:44 PM
Quote from: whitey on September 09, 2023, 03:02:21 PM
Parents also need to step in here
Why would you allow a young and inexperienced driver get a BMW or Audi? Those types of cars are way too powerful for the roads you find in rural Ireland
Great point.
Our 20 year old wanted to drive on the motorway in our car which far more powerful than his. He got up to 150 kph with the family in the car. That was the last time.
If you look at a mortality table 18-23 year old males are more likely to die than 30 year olds, because of accidents. It's different for females.
Young women drivers can fairly give it the boot as well.
The amount of parents who I heard have forked out thousands. upon thousands for a new or newish car to their 17 or 18 year old who just passed their test is absolutely vmental. It's like having a new updated mobile. Wee johnny can't be seen with an older motor. He'll get teased and it'll affect his mental health. Let's take out a second mortgage and get a new bmw or Mercedes. A week later Johnny has wrapped it round a tree.
Quote from: AustinPowers on September 09, 2023, 04:02:28 PM
Quote from: seafoid on September 09, 2023, 03:46:44 PM
Quote from: whitey on September 09, 2023, 03:02:21 PM
Parents also need to step in here
Why would you allow a young and inexperienced driver get a BMW or Audi? Those types of cars are way too powerful for the roads you find in rural Ireland
Great point.
Our 20 year old wanted to drive on the motorway in our car which far more powerful than his. He got up to 150 kph with the family in the car. That was the last time.
If you look at a mortality table 18-23 year old males are more likely to die than 30 year olds, because of accidents. It's different for females.
Young women drivers can fairly give it the boot as well.
The amount of parents who I heard have forked out thousands. upon thousands for a new or newish car to their 17 or 18 year old who just passed their test is absolutely vmental. It's like having a new updated mobile. Wee johnny can't be seen with an older motor. He'll get teased and it'll affect his mental health. Let's take out a second mortgage and get a new bmw or Mercedes. A week later Johnny has wrapped it round a tree.
Of course there are women who don't give a f**k but the incidence is higher in the young male population.
Driving is one of the most dangerous things we do and they don't understand this.
I was really uncomfortable at 150. There is no margin if something goes wrong.
Parenting and car use is one of the more bewildering aspects of modern Ireland.
In nearly every other aspect of life we now mother them to death; don't actually let them grow up until they've hit mid twenties.
But when it comes to driving, it's a case of get them going as early as possible, buy them a car, fill it with fuel, get them a personalised number plate, and allow them to drive all around the country with drunken mates in the wee hours of the weekend.
Nobody has mentioned donuts yet.
We stayed in a BnB in co Longford once and the woman of the house was a nurse in the hospital in Cavan. She wasn't there when we arrived but she came back around 10 and we had tea with her. She worked in A and E and they had a severely injured young man come in around half 7 after losing control of the car while executing a donut manoeuvre and crashing into another car. She said they get them regularly. He died in hospital.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvj-LgJZ9q0
I think Donegal contributes the highest number of road deaths per county.