Crashes on the M50...

Darragh29

<rant>I can't understand how come every single day of the week, there is a crash on this road that causes traffic to come to a standstill. The only excuse I can see for people having a crash on this road now is if they have a heart attack or something when driving, but yet every single day of the week, there seems to be a crash.<end of rant> :mad::mad::mad:

thewing

When people drive so close together at high speed and reduce speed quickly, someone is always bound to get caught out.

A road taking 5 times the traffic it's original capacity was designed for....

Drummerboy08

The problem is people not leaving enough space between them and the car in front. The M50 can slow down very very quickly in some spots, and it does catch those who arent concentrating out.

CiaranC

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

The problem is people not leaving enough space between them and the car in front. The M50 can slow down very very quickly in some spots, and it does catch those who arent concentrating out.

It slows down because the roadworks are left in place, creating bottlenecks all over the place.

WHY is it two lanes between Ballymount and Tallaght Southbound? They have done zero work on it since October, but leave it sitting there at two lanes all the time. So annoying.

unkel

CiaranC wrote: »

They have done zero work on it since October

Yeah, what's the story there? They made good progress last year but nothing seems to be happening atm?

cjt156

Just missed that one this morning, heard it on the radio as I was slamming on to avoid the old dear in the Starlet reversing back up the N4 outbound cos she'd missed the Foxhunter exit! I despair sometimes...

quarryman

There are crashes because people think its ok to drive at 100kmph+ despite the limit due to the works being 60kmph. The road splits and on occasion is reduced to 1 lane. I'm suprised there aren't more accidents.

bladespin

Tailgaiting, recipie for disaster.

seamus

Just missed that one this morning, heard it on the radio as I was slamming on to avoid the old dear in the Starlet reversing back up the N4 outbound cos she'd missed the Foxhunter exit! I despair sometimes...

Reversing/driving the wrong way down a Mway or Dual Carriageway should be an instant two-year ban, minimum.

High-speed crashes are very rare on the M50. Most accidents seem to occur at the off-ramps when people are queuing to get off - someone brakes suddenly or tries to squeeze into the gap and the guy behind is looking at his phone.

Speed has very little to do with it. The roadworks only make it worse because it becomes impossible to drive around it.

Beta Ray Bill

I would imagine a lot of it is rubber necking!

Irish people are key offenders when it come to rubber necking We're a nosey bunch of people!

Mitch Connor

grahambo wrote: »

I would imagine a lot of it is rubber necking!

Irish people are key offenders when it come to rubber necking We're a nosey bunch of people!

so freaking annoying to be delayed in slow/non moving traffic because of people staring at a crash on the OTHER side of the motorway.

Beta Ray Bill

Mitch Connor wrote: »

so freaking annoying to be delayed in slow/non moving traffic because of people staring at a crash on the OTHER side of the motorway.

And it always cases another crash!

ALWAYS!

Guy:Incognito

People just dont know how to use motorways, plain and simple. Every single time, and I mean every time(I use it pretty much every day) I go onto the M50 at Tallaght heading Northbound the cars around me immediatly move into the middle lane as we join the main carriageway, despite the inside lane that only starts at Tallaght being clear 9 times out of 10 . The traffic is all bunched up in the middle and outside lane with everyone brakeing and speeding up (another bug bear, why the hell cant people drive on motorways without having to brake?)

The other day I went from Tallaght to clondalking behind a van doing 80kmph (speed limit is 100 just passed Tallaght)the whole way in the inside lane, going passed lines of cars in the other lanes.

I really dont understand why so many people are so bad at somehting. I've had no more driver training than the vast majority of everyone else in the coutry so I dont undertsand how they can all collectivly be stupid.

Voodoomelon

Because you have cop on. There's also no testing of motorway driving so 90% of people will continue to call the overtaking lane the fast lane and also use it as such.

DubTony

unkel wrote: »

Yeah, what's the story there? They made good progress last year but nothing seems to be happening atm?

Pay the builder I'd say. If he's not getting paid he brings his workers somewhere else and does a job there instead. Same story on the N4. The road is as good as finished, but won't be opened until the man gets his cash.

P.C.

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Because you have cop on. There's also no testing of motorway driving so 90% of people will continue to call the overtaking lane the fast lane and also use it as such.

And NO trafic policing in this country. So, you are never penalised for bad or dangerouse driving.

When was the last time someone got a fine for driving in the overtaking lane? Proabably never :mad:.

tywy

P.C. wrote: »

And NO trafic policing in this country. So, you are never penalised for bad or dangerouse driving.

When was the last time someone got a fine for driving in the overtaking lane? Proabably never :mad:.

I know it's frustrating... but I reckon if they put stuff up on billboards around the country reminding people not to drive in the outside lane maybe people would realise they're doing something wrong.

Although I have to admit I rant about this to my friends regularly and then I get in the car with them and I say nothing as we drive onto the motorway and sit in the outside lane... sigh.

whiterebel

Stekelly wrote: »

People just dont know how to use motorways, plain and simple. Every single time, and I mean every time(I use it pretty much every day) I go onto the M50 at Tallaght heading Northbound the cars around me immediatly move into the middle lane as we join the main carriageway, despite the inside lane that only starts at Tallaght being clear 9 times out of 10 . The traffic is all bunched up in the middle and outside lane with everyone brakeing and speeding up (another bug bear, why the hell cant people drive on motorways without having to brake?)

The other day I went from Tallaght to clondalking behind a van doing 80kmph (speed limit is 100 just passed Tallaght)the whole way in the inside lane, going passed lines of cars in the other lanes.

I really dont understand why so many people are so bad at somehting. I've had no more driver training than the vast majority of everyone else in the coutry so I dont undertsand how they can all collectivly be stupid.

In the old days, you could also add in the people who went across 2 lanes to the exit. You know the ones - Outside lane at 80 in a 100, then suddenly remember they are going to Blanchardstown/Finglas or wherever.......
The amount of times coming down the M50 from the roundabout and the traffic was backed u to a standstill, yet when you would get to the exit it was clear - I always thought it was accidents, but it was twats stopping all the traffic. I remember years ago they reckoned someone veering 3 lanes to an exit on the M25 around London would cause a 6 mile tailback......:eek:

Davidth88

The M50 is similar to the M25 in London.

You get a lot of traffic on there that are not used to using M'ways. Also a lot of traffic joining for one junction only

If you think of an inter-urban m'way for example the M7 or M4 ( when they finally become interurban that is ) typcially you join for a fair few miles.

I am no traffic cop , however I would suggest that the junctions are the most dangerous places on m'ways , and on the M50 you have one every few feet. Add to that , more traffic than was 'planned' for , plus as other people have said total inexperiance on M'ways , what seems like zero policing and roadworks everywhere... you have the perfect mix for crashes.

Driving on m'ways here ( Ireland ) is terrible, you see more stopped cars on the hard shoulder that I have ever seen in the UK, you get push bikes , you get tractors , and pedestians all the time. I drive 1 junction of the M4 every day ( return ) and I see at least 1 reportable thing a week . I used to phone them in , but to be honest gave up.

The worst thing I ever saw , a man with a fishing rod walking down the central reservation .....

Guy:Incognito

whiterebel wrote: »

In the old days, you could also add in the people who went across 2 lanes to the exit. You know the ones - Outside lane at 80 in a 100, then suddenly remember they are going to Blanchardstown/Finglas or wherever:

Old days? I regularly see people go in both directions .A coupl eof times a week at Clondalkin I see people decide the hatchigns dont count for them and pull across them onto thte carriageway. Some of these go the whole hog and pull straight across to the outside lane from the slip (thats lane 0 to lane 3 in one go).

Then theres the ones like you describe but are clearly not forgetting the exit. They accelerate up the outside lane to as close to the exit as they can then pull across a gap from outside lane straight to the slip.

The bad driving yoiu can see just by driving once or twice between two exits of the M50 is really appalling.

I'd love to see the gards concentrate on it for about a week and pull in everyone they see doing stupid and/or dangerous manouvers.

The RSA need to run detailed ads about motorway driving too. Including ones on the radio explaining about keeping left.

daRobot

It's the chronic tailgating at high speeds, that's causing all these accidents.

See it everyday, it's just an appalling standard of driving.

dudara

whiterebel wrote: »

In the old days, you could also add in the people who went across 2 lanes to the exit. You know the ones - Outside lane at 80 in a 100, then suddenly remember they are going to Blanchardstown/Finglas or wherever.......

If by the old days, you mean yesterday. I see this every time I drive a motorway - very common on the M50 however.

JimmyCrackCorn!

tywy wrote: »

I know it's frustrating... but I reckon if they put stuff up on billboards around the country reminding people not to drive in the outside lane maybe people would realise they're doing something wrong.

Although I have to admit I rant about this to my friends regularly and then I get in the car with them and I say nothing as we drive onto the motorway and sit in the outside lane... sigh.

Wishful thinking.

BlackWizard

daRobot wrote: »

It's the chronic tailgating at high speeds, that's causing all these accidents.

See it everyday, it's just an appalling standard of driving.

It's the chronic overtaking lane hoggers at high speeds, thats's causing all these accidents.

See if everyday, it's just appalling standard of driving.

whiterebel

dudara wrote: »

If by the old days, you mean yesterday. I see this every time I drive a motorway - very common on the M50 however.

By the old days I meant when there were only 2 lanes to do, now they p*ss across three lanes without a look. Good point made too, about booting it up the outside lane, knowing they are going to drive across traffic to get to their exit.

I.S.T.

grahambo wrote: »

I would imagine a lot of it is rubber necking!

Irish people are key offenders when it come to rubber necking We're a nosey bunch of people!

Some of it is rubber necking but it is also common sense to slow down if you see an accident ahead. Expect the unexpected and all that.

I.S.T.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

so freaking annoying to be delayed in slow/non moving traffic because of people staring at a crash on the OTHER side of the motorway.

Now that IS annoying

daRobot

BlackWizard wrote: »

It's the chronic overtaking lane hoggers at high speeds, thats's causing all these accidents.

I agree with that fully.

Thing is though, if someone is hogging the overtaking lane, a quick flash of the lights will do (in non-rush hour conditions), but trying to tail someone in heavy traffic is much worse than an overtaking lane hogger.

Danbo!

My main problems with the M50:

Roadworks at Exits: The signs are ok, but just before you reach the real exit (maybe 100 Yrds before it) there is always a works/site entrance, nice and wide, not blocked by cones. I have seen a few people go into these. Then, 100 yards later, a tiny tight exit thats easy to miss, causing people to slam on.. (which wont achieve anything for them, as they've probably passed it)

No testing of drivers: In england your final driving lesson is a 2 hour motorway lesson, at least it was for my cousin, I assumed it was mandatory. This should, but wont, be introduced here asap.

The Blanchardstown exit, Northbound: 2 lanes, fair enough, it gets busy, but why not dash the white lines closer between land 2 & 3 rather than 1 & 2? A lot of the time i'm in lane 3 at this part of the motorway, and someone in Lane 2 shoots into my lane at the last minute.

I don't drive at rush hour on the M50 on a regular basis, but I would assume from what I've witnessed, a lot of crashes are caused by not checking blind spots when changing lanes, amongst other reasons mentioned above.

Also driver attitude, people not letting others in, i.e. speeding up when someone is about to enter your lane in front of you. I was in berlin last year and on an autobahn heading to the airport during rush hour. Same volume traffic as the M50, yet everyone doing 120-140. If someone indicates you let them in, if you indicate, you will be let in. Much more courtesy meant it just worked. Fat ****ing chance of that in Ireland though.