Road Safety

Bad Driving Habits

• Indicators

  Some people have no idea what these pretty orange flashing lights are actually for! They move here and there and go wherever they please without any thought of letting the rest of the road users know what their intentions are.  

• Poor Lane Discipline

  Some drivers are all over the place and they don’t seem to realise that they are supposed to stay in between those white dashed lines.  

   

   

• Speed

  SPEED is the single biggest factor contributing to road deaths in Ireland. Over 40% of fatal collisions are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed.

  A 5km/h difference in speed could be the difference between life and death for a vulnerable road user like a pedestrian.

  • Hit by a car at 60km/h, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
  • Hit by a car at 50km/h, 5 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed
  • Hit by a car at 30km/h, 1 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed

  Speed has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes.

  Excess speed is defined as exceeding the speed limit.

  Inappropriate speed is defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.

  Excess and inappropriate speed are responsible for a high proportion of the mortality and morbidity that result from road crashes.

  Controlling vehicle speed can prevent crashes happening and can reduce the impact when they do occur, lessening the severity of the of injuries sustained by the victims.

• Tailgating

  This is probably one of the greatest offences. Some drivers are extremely impatient, some people do it without thinking, just following traffic they get a bit close, but then they back off as you accelerate away.

  Some drivers tailgate deliberately though, and these are the ones that are the most dangerous. They sit behind you flashing their headlights in an effort to move you, but of course, there is nowhere to go as you are in the process of overtaking and there is no room to pull in on the left. 

  To this kind of driver, the two second rule means that they can just about cope with another vehicle in front of them before they decide to intimidate them by driving inches away.

   

   

• Undertaking

  Tailgaters who don’t get their way will often resort to undertaking if they can. Yes, there are also those selfish individuals out there that hog the middle and the outside lane. 

  They have no idea that there is a queue of traffic waiting to get past them, probably because they are in their own little world thinking about what to have for dinner. This causes some individuals to lose patience and undertake. 

• Other Annoyances
  • Cutting corners, particularly at junctions.
  • No headlights in conditions that require them.
  • Throwing cigarettes out the window.
  •  Leaving main beam on or dipping only at the last minute.
  •  Inappropriate use of the horn.
  •  Impatient people pushing in ahead of a queue of traffic.

   

• Think about this:

  Choose your speed and you choose your consequences.

  In a 60 km/h zone, travelling at:

  • 65 km/h, you are twice as likely to have a serious crash
  • 70 km/h, you are four times as likely to have a serious crash
  • 75 km/h, you are 10 times as likely to have a serious crash
  • 80 km/h, you are 32 times as likely to have a serious crash than if you drive at 60 km/h.

  In rural out of town areas, travelling just 10 km/h faster than the average speed of other traffic, you are twice as likely to have a serious crash.