Ways to reduce road deaths

Unfortunately a lot of the problem is down to the mentality of people driving. There's the 'boy-racer' mentality, then theres the people (all ages) who feel their destination is much more important than getting there safely, there's the people who are fed up to the back teeth of crawling along in the first gear for 30 mins every day each way so they tend to try to make up the lost time...

We know the roads and the transport are not going to change overnight. So how do you change people's attitude...education in school for the young people but what about the seasoned drivers who have got into really dangerous habits?

How about we just enforce the existing laws before we bother dreaming up any new ones (which will be ignored)?

Government needs more driving test examiners to clear back log and then any prov. licence holder found to be driving alone or with non-licence holders have their insurance revoked for 12 months and a fine and an endorsement.

I find it incredible that parents have so little concern for their child's safety, that they would buy them a car for their 17th birthday and wave them off - having had no practical experience in a car at all! Might as well give them a gun and send them out to play!

A couple of insurance companies have the right idea - offering 1 yrs NCB for completing a safety course for example - if this is working , how come the Government hasn't implemented it nationwide?

I think it should be mandatory that anyone without a full licence must prove they have done 10 lessons, (minimum) and that their test is applied for before leaving them off in a car. In my capacity as a claims investigator all too often the cause of the accident is inexperienced young drivers - showing off with their mates in their souped up Punto!

With the exception of 1 post I think the main problem has not been touched upon - policing. Its all very fine and well suggesting that this should be compulsory and that should be made illegal and the other should be banned but at the end of the day it is down to policing and enforcing the law.

Of course it can be argued that these speed merchants shouldnt be speeding in the first instance but we do not live in the perfect world. If we did there would be a redundant police force.

The current road traffic laws are adequate if there was proper policing in place and proper sentances handed down for the limited amount of convictions that we see.

Just a small example of the inadequacies of the law can be seen from a court case in Donegal this week - link