Why bother with having "Rules of the Road"

Kashkai

I've been drinving since 1987 (I'm pretty tired now:D ) and I've seen the standard of driving getting worse year by year. Now some people may say its because the long waiting time for tests is letting inexperienced drivers pour onto the roads where they develop bad habits that become ingrained.

Others may say its because the volume of traffic is so bad, people get so frustrated that they drive fast, use bus lanes, cut dangerously across lanes etc.

I say its down to that part of the Irish psyche wherein we all have a deeply ingrained hatred of rules and regulations and therefore we must rebel against the laws handed down from our Oppressors (whoops nearly went off on a political track there - sorry).

What we need is to have the rules of the road enforced - pure and bloody simple. No more "bank holiday weekend" or "Christmas" blitz on traffic. We need to have traffic cops on the roads 24/7 doing their bloody jobs in a fair and even manner, i.e. as the rules of the road dictates e.g.
If some gobsh1te cuts across lanes of traffic to get to his turn off, then penalise him,
if some gobsh1te drives on your bumper, then penalise him
If some gobsh1te is driving erratically while using his mobile phone, drinking his coffee, doing her make- up etc, then penalise him
If some gobsh1te is coming out of a pub and gets into his car, then penalise him
etc, etc, etc.

No messing about, no ifs, buts, maybes i.e. zero tolerance.

There are those out there who might think this is the ravings of a neo conservative nazi, but I've seen the aftermath on road traffic victim's families when they bury a loved one whose life was cut short on our roads. The word "Accident" does not come near describing the true impact of losing a husband, wife, father etc. How do you tell a small kid that Daddy won't be coming home again as some eejit wanted a few drinks and then thought he'd be safe enough driving home as the chances of getting caught by the cops were slim and he then smashes into that particular Daddy's car who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An Uncle of mine is in the Ambulance service. He says that even after thirty years of attending road traffic incidents, he still finds some of the scenes so gruesome that he throws up and has nightmares. Imagine if you can the damage caused to that young girl in the north last week where they ended up burying the wrong girl in the wrong grave as they couldn't identify what was left of her. Perhaps eejits who drink and drive should be shown pictures of their victim's bodies as a reminder of what they did.

Start enforcing the rules of the roads before one of us loses someone we care about.

smash

Prosperous Dave wrote:

If some gobsh1te cuts across lanes of traffic to get to his turn off, then penalise him,
if some gobsh1te drives on your bumper, then penalise him
If some gobsh1te is driving erratically while using his mobile phone, drinking his coffee, doing her make- up etc, then penalise him
If some gobsh1te is coming out of a pub and gets into his car, then penalise him
etc, etc, etc.

Completely agree

Henry Ford III

Hard hitting but I think you are on the right lines with this.

If potential offenders (all of us let's be honest here) thought there was a good chance of getting done, we'd think twice about taking a risk.

kluivert

Does anyone know the traffice lights at the cross roads at DKIT in Dundalk.
The one beside Xerox and JP Carrolls Cigs.

Well I was coming up the East bypass as if you where heading for the motor way, the lights where red, I wanted to turn right to go back into Dundalk town.

The lights went green for traffic to go straight on towards to motorway, am in a little lane beside them with my red light to turn right.

I noticed there wasnt any oncoming traffic heading towards me so decided to break the red light and turn right.

On my left hand right up at the front of the traffic lights is a squad car, I drive on knowing that when their lights go green they be right behind me.

No. They pulled into the garage on the left after the lights there across from the college.

Now before any of you get on your high horse, yes I broke the lights yes I knew I was in the wrong.

But I was expected to be pulled over, and nothing happened therefore there needs to be greater enforcement of road regulations.

prospect

I drive from Sallins to Clondalkin & back, daily.

I could count 20 or 30 infringements on EVERY journey. (and this does not include the 100s of cars that abuse a not-in-use bus lane on the nangor road)

ianobrien

I agree completly. All of the current methods are not working.

Apply a zero tolerance and total enforcement approach. Then I'd cop on behind the wheel, because I know that I'd be caught.

Gurgle

ianobrien wrote:

Apply a zero tolerance and total enforcement approach.

Sure, then we'll open a cheese-mine on the moon.

Henry Ford III

kluivert wrote:

...The lights went green for traffic to go straight on towards to motorway, am in a little lane beside them with my red light to turn right.

I noticed there wasnt any oncoming traffic heading towards me so decided to break the red light and turn right.

On my left hand right up at the front of the traffic lights is a squad car, I drive on knowing that when their lights go green they be right behind me.

No. They pulled into the garage on the left after the lights there across from the college.

Now before any of you get on your high horse, yes I broke the lights yes I knew I was in the wrong.

But I was expected to be pulled over, and nothing happened therefore there needs to be greater enforcement of road regulations.

Fair play for 'fessing up - and you are right, the fact that they didn't pull you will only reinforce your view of the lack of enforcement.

Kashkai

Perhaps we should set up a hotline for reporting cops who don't enforce the rules of the road. Why don't these lazy fools get off their overpaid a$$es and do what they should have been doing all along. In my experience, the cops either come over all heavy handed or they revel in the power to let you off and think that you should be grateful for it.

Why, oh why do they take the easy option of plonking a speed trap on a dual carriageway or motorway when we all know these are the safe roads. Get out to the back roads boys and catch the moron booting around bends on the wrong side of the road.

If I was caught speeding (never happened cause I obey the limits even if it pi$$es off some of those behind me), then a fine and penalty points is what I deserve. I don't need a lecture or to be let off with a warning. Just give me the ticket and I'll be on my way in the knowledge that the cops were just doing their jobs.

I should probably start another thread on cops as I have absolutely no respect for them. How many times have you been stopped, like me, at a checkpoint in a car thats taxed, insured, good working order etc only to be told to "produce your insurance" at the local cop shop. When you enquire why, you're told "because I said so". IMO our cops are the most useless shower of eejits who where ever classed as a Police Force. No wonder they're so anti the Garda Reserve as they'd probably be shown up for the incompetent eejits they are.

Torak

prospect wrote:

(and this does not include the 100s of cars that abuse a not-in-use bus lane on the nangor road)

I've always wondered about that?

As the bus lane is officially not in use surely it is available as a lane of traffic?

It would seem like the only sensible thing?

no?

Does anyone know what the actual law is in this regard?

ianobrien

Gurgle wrote:

Sure, then we'll open a cheese-mine on the moon.

Didn't Wallice & Gromit try that? Or were they hungry?

Yes, I believe that it can be done. Take kluivert's story. If the garda had a total enforcement approach, the garda should have had a "discussion" with him. They left him off, There's the problem!!

prospect

Torak wrote:

I've always wondered about that?

As the bus lane is officially not in use surely it is available as a lane of traffic?

It would seem like the only sensible thing?

no?

Does anyone know what the actual law is in this regard?

I am sure they are allowed to use it, and that isn't my problem, it is the other laws they break getting into it, travelling in it, and getting out of it.

1. Most cars enter and exit it without indicating - Illegal
2. Most cars enter it and sometimes exit it by crossing a solid white line - Illegal
3. Most cars enter it, and accellerate above the legal speed limit to pass cars in the driving lane, this is overtaking (the slow moving trafic rule does not apply here because they are often travelling at the speed limit)- Illegal
4. ALL cars exit near the M50 bridge and they ignore the YIELD sign, they just force their way back into the traffic - Illegal

WizZard

Prosperous Dave wrote:

If I was caught speeding (never happened cause I obey the limits even if it pi$$es off some of those behind me), then a fine and penalty points is what I deserve. I don't need a lecture or to be let off with a warning. Just give me the ticket and I'll be on my way in the knowledge that the cops were just doing their jobs.

In fairness, when I was stopped for speeding it was by a young Garda and he was nothing but polite and efficient. None of this, "Do ya know how fast ya were goin'?" or lecturing lark. He just said "We caught you doing... <produced the speed gun>". I replied "Fair enough". He took my details, explained how I could pay the fine (it wasn't my local area) and then I went on my way.

I'm dismayed every day by the standards of driving and policing (wrt driving offences) in this country, and I do think a zero tolerance/hardline effort towards driving offences is needed, but not all Gardaí are as useless as some, in just the same way that not all road users are as aware as others.
And it's sentiments like that that adversely affect peoples attitudes towards Gardaí.

I've said it before with regards to speeding, but it applies for all driving offences; until the attitude of "You were lucky not to get caught", rather than the current "Unlucky to be caught" takes hold, we are doomed to see more dangerous offences on our roads.