Dangerous driving

Night after night young men are bringing themselves one step closer to death by refusing to drive with patience or care.

When will people start to recognise the seriousness of all the road fatalities that Ireland is experiencing? The government has reacted by ensuring there is a Garda crackdown on speeding, drunk driving, etc. But one must ask, is this method of dealing with the problem working?

It seems not… So far there have been over 200 people killed on the roads this year, how many people will have to die before the government realises that its crackdown is not working and that it is time to approach the problem in a different way.

The Gardai have reacted by enforcing campaigns during peak holiday times and bank holidays but this is simply not enough. Is there any point in sitting in prominent areas with speed guns when everyone is aware and purposely slow down? Is it enough to sit ‘incognito' in ‘unmarked cars' when everyone can identify them instantly as Gardai and slow down in time?

Night after night young men are bringing themselves one step closer to death by refusing to drive with patience or care. Not only do they treat their own lives with disregard but they are also endangering others. However, little is being done. Instead Gardai like to target the driver who is perhaps 5 mph over the speed limit while the reckless, road-raged driver escapes.

High insurance prices only ensure that young people in particular, buy cars that are worth only a couple of hundred. These cars are not safe enough to be on the road, they are not able to protect the passengers in collisions and this is one of the reasons why so many people are being fatally injured. Day after day in the newspapers we see pictures of crumpled cars that have folded like paper upon impact.  Careless driving and speed along with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is costing us valuable lives.

It's not rocket science to understand why so many are being killed on our roads. So, why can't we figure it out???

By: Marie Duffy

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