Isn't the Standard of Driving in Ireland Terrible?

H

horusd

Registered User
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I thought driving standards might have improved post-tiger. No chance; using mobile phones, haring thro amber & red lights, pushiness and cute hoorism aplenty.

One guy took the biscuit the other day, he was driving, on the phone, and took his other hand off the wheel to wave to some friend on the road. It's one thing to make a mistake, but it quite another to be careless, ignorant and stupid on the roads. And as for taxi's...don't get me started! I always drive defensively, I like my car so I don't abuse it with sharp or fast maneuveres. I would love to be a traffic cop for a day!
 
I had a guy in a 11 reg VW Passat REVERSE up towards me on the M50 on ramp at the Red Cow this morning!! Couldnt believe it,I slowed down, flashed and pointed at him the direction he had to drive. He wasnt happy at all. He obviously took the wrong ramp, but reversing on a main road is stupid and dangerous.
 
I can get over the rudeness - I see plenty of courtesy as well, its the downright dangerous that annoys/worries me. Mainly overtaking, people surfing along a line of traffic like it'll make much difference, overtaking coming up to a bend, trying to overtake too many in one go.

While the main roads are now fairly good, basics like widening roads to make a lane/waiting area for right turns are all too rare, so you get backups and people speeding towards backed up traffic.

Also, on national primary roads I think there should be a requirement to develop 2+1 stretches at intervals, saw it working in NZ, you get signs saying "Relax, there's an overtaking lane after 5 miles", so normal folk wont take chances on overtaking.

I think speeds have come down due to the camera vans, I know mine has. One hopes they'll be reasonable on the painfully slow 50km stretches I've to go through - i.e. if you're on 57km they'd let you off. Oddly enough one of the main dangers I encounter are slow moving vehicles like tractors at rush hour or people doing 60km on the open road, there should be a minimum limit as well, they are just obstacles otherwise.
 
And I am willing to bet that the vast majority are not young learner drivers.
 
Also why dont people when they have an accident where no-one is hurt or injured move their bloody cars to the side until the guards arrive. An entire motorway was brought to a standstill this evening for a fender bender at a roundabout.
 
We pale in comparison to the continent. I live in the middle east. Every day driving is a death wish at times. reversing back up a motorway after missing an exit is common. Overtaking on the hard shoulder of the fast lane, if there is an accident they still think they shouldnt be held up and will drive anywhere and anyway to get by you, tail-gating, indicators are an optional extra rarely used, entry and exit lanes on roundabouts are anyones guess. Its a joy driving on Irish roads!
 
Hungarians are the worst and most ignorant drivers in the EU bar none. I worked for a period in Africa where, when asked which side of the road I should drive on, my english colleague replied 'Don't know mate. I've only been here for 6 months'. The Hungarians make the africans look like saints.

I learned to drive on motorways in the UK & Germany. The english are unfailingly polite and good drivers. The germans are unflinchingly correct.

The biggest problem on irish motorways is that no one moves out to allow merging traffic and, equally dangerously, loads of idiots come to a COMPLETE STOP on the 'on' ramp. One being a function of the other I suppose.

In the last 12 months I've driven 65,000km. Give me the UK every day of the week.
 
Strangely, I lived in Vienna and assumed Austrians would be very correct drivers. Blame internal racial stereotyping ! Not a snowballs, as soon as they got to the motorway, they became Starsky and Hutch. Speed limits were optional apparently. The scariest time I had was in a Taxi in Thailand, the car was snowwhite and so was I when I got out of it.

In Ireland there seems to be ignorance of how to drive, aggressiveness, and a lack of simple courtesy. I make a point of allowing 2/3 drivers into lane, or out of sideroads on my 6 mile journey to the city on the basis that courtesy is infectious. I feel good about doing it,I feel more relaxed and hopefully the drivers I let in will do the same. I almost always stop at amber lights.
 
Ah the old amber lights which of course in this Country means floor it!
 
Sunny said:
Ah the old amber lights which of course in this Country means floor it!
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It used to...nowadays amber just means carryon, when it goes red you floor it...drives me nuts. Don't think people actually the damage they can cause just to save a few seconds. I'd like the UK's traffic lights here when they go from red to amber to green...that would stop the amber gamblers.

Stopping on a yellow box does it for me though.
 
The guy in the light blue/silver Ford Mondeo who speeds along on the bus lane (N11)pretending he is special branch or something. You see him every morning and evening.
 
Ah the slowped (moped) on the M50 this morning sitting in the middle lane doing about 70kph heading Northbound from Red Cow junction and then decides to move over into the far right lane (Lane 3) and continued to sit there.

What planet are these drivers on?
 
Apparently this is a daily occurrence.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Driver-risks-deadly-pile-U-turn-motorway.html


I find the quality of driving in Ireland severely lacking. Here are some basic rules of the road that I've picked up over the last few years -

  • It seems customary to defend to the death the 15ft of road in front of your vehicle.
  • Wo-betide anyone that might even think about pulling out in front of you even when you are in a stationary queue of traffic.
  • Never wave in thanks to any other driver who may have done you some form of courtesy.
  • Completely ignore the concept of lane discipline at all times.
  • Completely ignore the concept of utilising particular lanes at junctions to aid in your direction of travel.
  • Completely ignore yellow hatched boxes.
  • When in a queue of traffic, ensure all side roads are blocked for those wishing to exit or those wishing to enter by turning right.
  • Traffic lights (all colours) present you with suggestions rather than instructions (applicable also to pedestrians).
  • Take absolutely no notice of anything else that's going on around you apart from that within the aforementioned 15ft in front of your vehicle.
  • If you are in any doubt about the way you need to go, your course of action at a particular juncture or the direction of your life in general, stop right where you are and take a few minutes to consider things. It's OK, everyone around you will stop with you and wait for you to sort your life out.
  • At the slightest accident remain exactly where you are, don't clear the carriageway and call the Gards out of an intrinsic fear of being in some way confidence-tricked by the other driver.
  • If you drive a Yaris, Micra or anything Japanese over 15 years of age then do not exceed 65kph... ever!
  • (Clause to above rule - if the Japanese car over 15 years of age is a Civic, Sylvia or any other Grey Import then remove the shocks, springs and most of the exhaust, drive at 10kph in towns and V-Max everywhere else).
  • If you are purchasing a new car it must be specced in some shade of silver (or if you are particularly daring, black).

I could go on but I'm loosing the will to li...........
 
Yesterday morning while coming into Dublin Port and just starting to pull away at a green light for ourselves, a truck flew through a red light at about 50 miles an hour.. If that wasn't bad enough, while coming to a roundabout the driver of said truck decided to leave his braking nice and late.. Trailer started to jack knife and he was only stopped by thumping into the back of a Tougher oil lorry. This seemed to unfaze the driver of said Tougher oil lorry as he carried on as if a truck hadn't just thumped into the rear of his oil lorry and almost caused a huge explosion!
 
I believe truck drivers have a kind of tacit code about these things.

Personally, I just close my eyes and accelerate slightly, in order to put as much space as possible between me and the hazard.
 
The ignorant so and so exiting the M50 at Templeogue on Tuesday evening who drove so close to me he was nearly in the back seat, ignored me putting on the brake lights, then ignored me driving really really slowly to warn him to back off and just stayed glued to my bumper, then pulled around me into the Tallaght lane waving his hands furiously and snarling through the window at me. All I can say is I pity the poor unfortunates who have to live or work with the ignorant tosser.
 

He sounds like the one who sideswiped me on the same exit and then managed to get stuck in a lane he didnt want to be in, ended up behind me again and practically drove into my boot, all the while shaking his fist furiously at me and flashing me.
 
truthseeker said:
He sounds like the one who sideswiped me on the same exit and then managed to get stuck in a lane he didnt want to be in, ended up behind me again and practically drove into my boot, all the while shaking his fist furiously at me and flashing me.
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I love guys like this....I usually turn around and wave at them with a big cheesy grin.
 
Firefly said:
I love guys like this....I usually turn around and wave at them with a big cheesy grin.
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I personally have a penchant for the hazard lights in this situation. Oh yeah - youre backing off now buddy because you think there is something wrong - there is something wrong - YOU!!
 
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