Irelands road deaths

mikemac1

Mikros wrote: »

Driver suicides are very much the minority of single vehicle collisions. All the research both national and international would tend to support that.

minidazzler wrote: »

probably a huge cause of single vehicle crashes, Suicide

Which is it

bbam

Its OK, all in hand, we have a strategy.



We're going to have more speed vans in the mornings... Particularly around 8-9am school runs.. Just inside the 50kph zones..

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Problem sorted:cool:

Mikros

mikemac1 wrote: »

Which is it

I'll say it again - suicides only make up a handful of all fatal traffic collisions.

Here's an Irish study over 14 years in Mayo. The conclusion is "there is no definitive evidence that the road traffic fatalities examined were disguised suicides" http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/cri/16/2/85/

Here's a few more multi-year studies that again suggest that suicides only contribute a small % to the overall road death figures.

1.7% source - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/835740
7.4% source - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457597000924
5.9% source - http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/171/5/468.short

DEFTLEFTHAND

To commit suicide in such a way is appalling, needlessly taking other lives with you. Be a fcuking man and stick your head in a noose.

Tool_

One of the topics covered in Freakonomics was the spike in plane crashes following cases of suicide being reported, with the authors suggesting these plane crashes may be suicides themselves by people wanting to end it without the stigma of topping themselves. If there's any truth in this horrible idea I'd say that the proportion of single vehicle accidents being suicide related would be significant.

However the (far too many) deaths on the roads I've had a connection to have largely been down to speed and irresponsible, inexperienced driving.

I'm much more against inappropriate speed than rural drink driving.

bleepp

mickydoomsux wrote: »

It annoys me greatly when a young lad/group of young lads wrap themselves around a pole at 3 in the morning in their riced-up Starlet and it is described in the media as a "tragedy".

It not tragic, it's idiotic and pretty much a prime example of natural selection at work.

Bit quick to judge?
How could any car accident be described as anything but a tragedy?
Sure stupidity and recklessness play a major role in many road fatalities but that's doesn't lessen the massive sense of loss felt by the family and community.
A driver who is stupid enough to speed and then crashes and dies is tragic, in the same way that someone who is stupid enough to smoke could eventually die of cancer. Any needless death is tragic, regardless of the actions of the person.

And how on earth is it an example of natural selection?

bleepp

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

To commit suicide in such a way is appalling, needlessly taking other lives with you. Be a fcuking man and stick your head in a noose.

In all fairness, a person contemplating killing themselves is far removed from the normal psychological state, all they see is a black hole and often what a healthy person would consider would be the last thing on their mind.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Tool_ wrote: »

One of the topics covered in Freakonomics was the spike in plane crashes following cases of suicide being reported, with the authors suggesting these plane crashes may be suicides themselves by people wanting to end it without the stigma of topping themselves. If there's any truth in this horrible idea I'd say that the proportion of single vehicle accidents being suicide related would be significant.

However the (far too many) deaths on the roads I've had a connection to have largely been down to speed and irresponsible, inexperienced driving.

I'm much more against inappropriate speed than rural drink driving.

Good point, masking the suicide as an accident does happen. I personally know of a case involving a tragic sea 'accident' where this happened.

DEFTLEFTHAND

bleepp wrote: »

In all fairness, a person contemplating killing themselves is far removed from the normal psychological state, all they see is a black hole and often what a healthy person would consider would be the last thing on their mind.

Of course, I know I might have come across as a bit harsh with that comment. However I just feel no matter how far removed the person is they should never take innocent people with them. Suicide is personal business.

seven_eleven

It annoys me how everyone has to turn a blind eye on road crashes where it was clearly caused by wreckless driving, usually teens/people in their young twenties who think they're hot stuff. Especially on boards and other Irish media sites. If you even attempt to disect the circumstances people will shoot you down and call you out in a shot!
I know of 2 people who were killed due to the use of drugs and speeding, and a short while after their death all their friends had a little "memorial" party for them, which involved everyone getting together in their cars and speeding/skidding around the place glorifying it like complete morons.

Emergency Services officially refer to them as RTC, Road traffic collisions. But that only changed not too long ago from RTA. Not that it matters that much what they're called.

Anybody remember that car crash in Donegal 2 years ago that killed 8 people. Irelands worst ever car crash afaik. Was there ever a report or findings to the cause/circumstances related to that?

Personally, I also think that suicide by car crash isnt as common as some people think it is. Its such an unconventional method, and people bring it up too much when its a single vehicle death.

jessiejam

Maybe all young drivers under 25 shouldn't be able to carry passengers at all. A 17 year old driver with 4 of his buddys in the car is going to show off at some stage.

No driving after 10pm unless its work related. And speed restricters in every car driven by anyone under the age of 25.

If caught you're off the road for a year.

The insurance costs to reflect this.

One more thing. All those driving on main roads more than 20kms below the speed limit should be fined. Sometimes people take stupid risks to overtake these road hoggers that are driving at 60kms on a 100km road.

seven_eleven

jessiejam wrote: »

Maybe all young drivers under 25 shouldn't be able to carry passengers at all. A 17 year old driver with 4 of his buddys in the car is going to show off at some stage.

No driving after 10pm unless its work related. And speed restricters in every car driven by anyone under the age of 25.

If caught you're off the road for a year.

The insurance costs to reflect this.

Well lets not get all North Korean over this now :pac:

and please, no more excuses for insurance companies to raise their scumbag robbery prices

jessiejam

seven_eleven wrote: »

Well lets not get all North Korean over this now :pac:

and please, no more excuses for insurance companies to raise their scumbag robbery prices

I would hope the insurance would go down not up if all those restrictions were adhered to!!
I know its harsh but god if it saves some lives it might be an option?

mattjack

A few years ago a family member of mine died in a single vehicle accident , at night , on a road supposedly very familiar to him.. as you could imagine it caused devastation to his family and all his friends .. he was from a little village, so everybody knew who was .

A very sympathetic young Garda , who knew the family , gathered as much information about him regarding the accident.

Eventually the Garda was able to tell my family that my relative had between four and six pints on him when he crashed and had hit a tree at about 120 kmh per hour..he was driving a fancy looking BMW. , in the previous six months he had had made a number of suicide attempts including one where he was lucky to survive.

We don't really know if it was suicide attempt or just plain old drunk driving .. but he fitted a lot criteria for young men dying in Ireland in crash's... powerful car , alcohol , possible suicide and maybe even the arrogance of his belief that nothing could happen to him.

Tool_

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Good point, masking the suicide as an accident does happen. I personally know of a case involving a tragic sea 'accident' where this happened.

Anyone with suicidal impulses is likely to have them floating about in their head and whenever an opportunity presents itself. Driving alone on an empty road is one such opportunity, without the stigma, and it's as easy as speeding up and not steering round a corner.

In a suicidal frame of mind I'd say that'd seem rational enough.

DEFTLEFTHAND

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Of course, I know I might have come across as a bit harsh with that comment. However I just feel no matter how far removed the person is they should never take innocent people with them. Suicide is personal business.

Those suspected suicides tend to be single vehicle, single occupant hitting a solid object on a quiet country lane where there is no other traffic or people, so that comment is incorrect!

Jimoslimos

Tool_ wrote: »

Anyone with suicidal impulses is likely to have them floating about in their head and whenever an opportunity presents itself. Driving alone on an empty road is one such opportunity, without the stigma, and it's as easy as speeding up and not steering round a corner.

In a suicidal frame of mind I'd say that'd seem rational enough.

As I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle, I would say some single vehicle (with no occupants) crashes may well be suicide attempts but not as much as some might suspect.

From personal experience when I was a young driver I used to travel a little faster at night on my own. Being alone meant I could push the boundaries a little more without worrying about looking stupid in front of my mates/gf if I made a mistake. Pretty stupid mindset looking back but heh that's youth!

Jimoslimos

Jimoslimos wrote: »

As I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle, I would say some single vehicle (with no occupants) crashes may well be suicide attempts but not as much as some might suspect.

From personal experience when I was a young driver I used to travel a little faster at night on my own. Being alone meant I could push the boundaries a little more without worrying about looking stupid in front of my mates/gf if I made a mistake. Pretty stupid mindset looking back but heh that's youth!

Yep! Been there done that.
More Dukes of Hazzard like off road, than on the road though, at midnight! :eek:

seven_eleven

Driving is generally frustrating and annoying, driving fast amplifies that by a lot. Once I realized that there was no rush, driving became far more enjoyable for me. Its actually quite relaxing when you can calm your nerves and cruise a long at 80km/h (the speed limit) and not be getting angry at every thing around you. Im not saying I drive like a granny either, I stick to the speed limit and nothing less than is safe/considerate to other road users.