Too many dangerous drivers on our roads

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

Over the last few months there has been non-stop media coverage asking road users to be careful on the roads.

We are being told by Garda, the RSA and Government ministers how important it is to behave on our roads and we are also told that every uniformed garda is spending at least 30 minutes of every shift out on the road detecting driver misbehaviour. It’s been clever media coverage. 

On the Thursday of the May bank holiday weekend I drove from Rathgar in south Dublin to Sligo. The following day I continued my drive to Culdaff on the Inishowen peninsula, where I was attending a wedding.

I left Rathgar at approximately 3.30pm. It took me close to 90 minutes to drive as far as Lucan. How do people do that every day? Maybe it explains why we are becoming an ever more aggressive society. Just a thought.

Once out on the open road I was horrified by some of the driving I saw. The tailgating, the overtaking on the most dangerous of stretches and the number of vehicles that overtook me on the motorway when I was travelling at 120 km/h was beyond belief. Not once between Dublin and Sligo did I see a speed check. 

The following day I drove from Sligo to Culdaff. And it was more of the same. Maybe worse. On a main road where there were road works I saw an An Post van jump the lights.

It dawned on me how so many of our accidents are the result of dangerous, rude, arrogant, selfish and simply stupid driving.

We can’t be blaming the State for everything. But nothing is simple and it would be a fool who would not say that everything is nuanced.

Again between Sligo and Culdaff I did not see one speed detector. But what struck me most of all was some of the signage. At one place I saw a sign saying 100 km/h, less than 500 metres further on there was a school sign telling drivers to slow down. That can’t make sense. The number of faded signs I saw was beyond count. It meant I had no idea what I was being told to do. I often found myself driving not knowing what the speed limit was on that section of road.

I drive a motor bike. I sympathise with motorcyclists but when I saw a motorbike tailgating me and then overtaking me on a continuous white line I lost some of my grá for the motorcycling fraternity.

I’m also asking questions about the design of modern cars and all the gadgets that are on hand. Hands-on telephony is not the panacea that it is made out to be. Checking for a number you wish to dial can be distracting as can so many of the other gadgets displayed on the dashboard.

At one stage I must have pressed the wrong button and instead of telling me what speed I was travelling, the screen indicated the temperature of the engine oil.

Up to May 7, 71 people have been killed on our roads this year. Seventy one too many. It’s we who must stop the carnage. And now.