Are our poorly maintained roads responsible for accidents?m

junkyard

I can appreciate that we're having some pretty bad weather at the moment but the condition of the roads around county Cork are absolutely appalling, even the duel carriageways seem to have potholes and sections ripped off them. Poorly maintained roads must be a major factor in traffic accidents, especially as you can't see the damage as the roads are wet most of the time. Has anyone else encountered this?

SpringerF

I have,

Driving anywhere off a main road in Co. Cork is inviting trouble.

Flyer1

I'm hearing about how bad the roads in cork are at the moment alright. I've to go down there on the weekend and my car is lower than snail sh!t so i'll propably buckle a wheel or 2.

jimmycrackcorm

There'd be less accidents if people matched their driving to the conditions.

junkyard

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

There'd be less accidents if people matched their driving to the conditions.

Fair comment but I do think that when your driving on a main duel carriageway that they should be maintained to a certain standard at least, it's impossible to see potholes on a wet road and it's wet most of the time in fairness. I do think there's a serious fall off in road maintenance of late though and considering what we have to pay to use the roads I don't think it's acceptable.

galwaytt

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

There'd be less accidents if people matched their driving to the conditions.

...that is a trite statement, and the sort of simplistic nonsense the RSA spout. 4 dead young women in Galway today would beggar to differ, I'd wager.

And five more fatalities within 3kms of my house inside the last 3 years are to me, a damning indictment of the contempt motorists are held in by Co Council's and their negiligence with regard to road standards generally.

Guy:Incognito

galwaytt wrote: »

...that is a trite statement, and the sort of simplistic nonsense the RSA spout. 4 dead young women in Galway today would beggar to differ, I'd wager..

In fairness, your diving right in yourself. How do you know it wasnt down to bad driving/driver error on the part of the car driver?

galwaytt

Stekelly wrote: »

In fairness, your diving right in yourself. How do you know it wasnt down to bad driving/driver error on the part of the car driver?

No less sweeping than the comment I was addressing. That and the evidence from the people living beside the bends in question, on the TV inside the last 1/2 hr. Another fatality in the same spot Aug 09, Aug 08, and 7 non-fatal accidents in the last.........10 days or so ?

That is most assuredly what used to be known as an accident 'Black Spot' and there's an onus on those who receive our motoring taxes, the roads are to a suitable standard.

slimjimmc

Stekelly wrote: »

In fairness, your diving right in yourself. How do you know it wasnt down to bad driving/driver error on the part of the car driver?

+1

OP, yes poor road maintenance and design certainly contribute to traffic accidents, imo.

Atomic Pineapple

At the current rate that the road my house is on is degrading I calculate that within two months I wont be able to drive the car on it, this is no over exaggeration and I will get pics to prove it if required.

The locals have even taken it upon themselves to fix the road up, of course in the process their "repairs", lasted 1 day and of course left a mess all over the road leaving it worse than ever.

While the road is small and you cant drive fast enough on it to have an accident its a sign of how the roads are being left to rot in the "recession", the road would normally have had at the very least a good repair job done on it by now and sometimes a full relaying but not this time and its worse than its ever been

Pete4779

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

There'd be less accidents if people matched their driving to the conditions.

Considering the road maintenance conditions in large part of the country, that means not driving at all, ever.

PCPhoto

budgets have been slashed - road maintenance is not a priority for councils - social engagements/christmas parties/christmas lights are more pressing matters.:rolleyes:

I agree that the roads are a disgrace and I would ask where the "plastic bag tax" is supposed to be going ....wasnt it meant to go on Roads ?

Tipsy Mac

I would say VRT has killed more people than bad roads have, if you look at safety equipment it has been stripped out of cars landing on our shore to avoid excessive VRT taxation on the added safety devices, people should be hung for their bloody greedy hands in it and maybe if some of their family were bagged and tagged in some crashes as a result they would understand the errors of their ways :mad:

slimjimmc

PCPhoto wrote: »

budgets have been slashed - road maintenance is not a priority for councils - social engagements/christmas parties/christmas lights are more pressing matters.:rolleyes:

I agree that the roads are a disgrace and I would ask where the "plastic bag tax" is supposed to be going ....wasnt it meant to go on Roads ?

Plastic bag tax is ring-fenced for environmental schemes.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/environment/waste-management-and-recycling/plastic_bag_environmental_levy

maidhc

junkyard wrote: »

I can appreciate that we're having some pretty bad weather at the moment but the condition of the roads around county Cork are absolutely appalling, even the duel carriageways seem to have potholes and sections ripped off them. Poorly maintained roads must be a major factor in traffic accidents, especially as you can't see the damage as the roads are wet most of the time. Has anyone else encountered this?

In fairness the County Council are fighting a loosing battle in the past few weeks. It is a tough job keeping the roads in Cork passable when they have a habit of getting washed away over night.

I'm not standing up for the Council, because they are a shower of wasters, but compared to other countries in Europe with better climates our roads get the most desperate hammering.

storker

No, no, no.

Accidents are caused by drivers who refuse to cop on and adjust their driving to suit the conditions. The myth of the "killer road" is one that needs to be put to bed instead of being encouraged by an irresponsible press and drivers who think that the roads should be maintained or upgraded to suit their own driving style.

From the news reports I hear, the most common fatal accidents seem to be when a car leaves the road entirely or has a head on collision with another car. For a head on collision to happen, one vehicle must be on the wrong side of the road, but roads don't pick up cars and throw them against trees or walls, and roads don't pick up cars and drop them onto the wrong carriageway. Drivers do that all by themselves.

Stork

storker

Pete4779 wrote: »

Considering the road maintenance conditions in large part of the country, that means not driving at all, ever.

...or just sensibly. Unfortunately, many drivers would find both options equally unthinkable.

Stork

Anan1

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I would say VRT has killed more people than bad roads have, if you look at safety equipment it has been stripped out of cars landing on our shore to avoid excessive VRT taxation on the added safety devices, people should be hung for their bloody greedy hands in it and maybe if some of their family were bagged and tagged in some crashes as a result they would understand the errors of their ways :mad:

And yet these same cars still manage to retain their electric windows, metallic paint, and alloy wheels? The sad fact of the matter is that most Irish buyers are too stupid to specify ESP instead of more neighbour-impressing options.

Thornography

Almost all my male friends have crashed because of anomalies in the road.

Metal man holes 6 inches bigger then the road surface surrounding them was a trap for my bro on his motorbike. (the road around it had worn away on the main road)

Massive pothole in my estate caused my front wheel of my scooter at the time to shatter in two along with the two suspension forks, front flipping over to my road rash.

While doing up the road to carrick, The council tought it would be funny to not finish the left hand side of the left side of the road, Was driving perfectly fine on the road untill the right side was 5inchs higher then the left (Of the left hand side of the road - hard to explain) and my back wheel of my bike went into the 5inch groove while my front wheel stayed on the 5inch playform. another nasty spill.

Massive pothole on the way to carrick tore the oil sump out of two of my friends cars on the same day, not a crash, but damage all the same.

I can keep going on and on and on.

x in the city

junkyard wrote: »

I can appreciate that we're having some pretty bad weather at the moment but the condition of the roads around county Cork are absolutely appalling, even the duel carriageways seem to have potholes and sections ripped off them. Poorly maintained roads must be a major factor in traffic accidents, especially as you can't see the damage as the roads are wet most of the time. Has anyone else encountered this?

driving in cork is an absolute nightmare, apart from the scum bags littering the city at night...

every second road seems to be 2 feet wide and have cars coming in all directions at once., and of course be littered with pot holes and generally date back to the roman period

not to mention a bewildering array of traffic lights and junctions even the locals don't even know how to navigate....

Senna

Probably not coincidental that Donegal has the highest number of fatalities and worst roads. It is a contributing factor, but its only a guess at how many accidents are caused by it.

But what pisses me off no end is a junction just up from my home place, the thing is a disaster, 3 people have been killed at it (separate accidents) and everyone in the council agrees it should be closed, but because a few residents will have to drive 500yr extra (there is a tunnel under the road 100yr away) they keep it open. Its only a mater of time before the next fatality and then it will be closed, but it'll be too late.

Galway1989

Road condition plays a major role in accidents i'm sure. Everyone goes way too fast on our roads and are not expecting the unexpected.
Most people try to approach corners at a pace slow enough to allow an oncoming car to pass but do they think of what else could be around the bend? A cyclist could be on your side of the road, while you're meeting an oncoming lorry taking up most of the road. Will you be able to stop in time? Not exaggerating like but you get the picture. The roads are not wide enough.

Driving is hazardous enough without having to cope with poor road surfaces aswell. Potholes can do serious damage. If you come on one at speed, it could send the car out of control.
We know all of this already, and yet we still have the lucky escapes or accidents....

Safe driving and Rest in Peace my fellow students at NUI Galway.