Agreed, they are quickly forgotten by people other than those close to them. Any of the rehabilitation hospitals would be worth a visit by anyone who thinks they’re a great driver or the speed limits are wrong.

I would appreciate if somebody from the RSA would comment on the above

Sean I fully take on board what this article says, I’d have one or two minor issues with it. However that report is dealing with “traffic accidents” whereas this thread and my discussion and opinions refer to fatal/ serious injury accidents.

Obviously speed in not a factor in the 1000’s of accidents we have every year but it is the biggest single factor in fatal/ serious injury accidents.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/enforcement/pdf/809839.pdf

I doubt most people think if everyone drives at the speed limit everything will be ok but sure have a read of this anyway if you wish

So? Slow down its not rocket science

So driving very slowly will solve everything?
of course speed is the major defining factor in most fatal collisions. But not looking at making our roads safer is merely short sighted, a FF Dempsey approach if u will.

@bilbo, of course or roads can be made safer, of course there are other factors ie defective vehicles, driver fatigue, drunk/drug drivers, rain, snow, ice, sudden driver illness or a combination of these.

That does not alter the fact that speed is the main cause of Fatal/ serious injury accidents. As you rightly said.

That’s funny because I always thought of myself as invincible, but I thought I was the only one. I must ask all my young male friends if they feel the same. I know they don’t all think they’re the best driver though, they know that it’s me, it has to be me.

Nobody ever said its just young people. Young men do, did and always will take risks.

Have a read of this http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/enforcement/pdf/809839.pdf

http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/enforcement/pdf/809839.pdf

Can you tell us the sex and age group of all the people killed in August?

Yes I can Vinny & theyre also in the public domain. Now can you show my any paperwork or statistics showing repair or upkeep of the roads these people were killed on & an independent engineers report on the imput of the road on the accidents.?

There will be a full forensic investigation into this accident and a coroners court which you could attend. I live in the country with bad roads. I’m local I know the road I drive appropriately. Is it possible I’ll have an accident someday? Yes. If I’m driving to fast at the time can I blame the RSA, AA, Garda or Government? No

Vinny whatever these guys with the little yellow markers on the road will say you will believe them. However since these guys have come into play over the last number of years how many times have they come to the opinion that the road surface or the condition of the edge of the road was a major factor in the accident. Those figures dont seem to be available.

The forensic investigators do a very professional job and there finding are there for anyone to see, they’re available to criminal courts, civil courts coroners courts, insurance companies. Without researching it and I don’t follow all accidents I believe they blamed the road surface for the tragic School Bus accident in Navan some years ago

No Vinny I think your wrong they blamed & prosecuted the garage for disconnecting the abs although the road suface played its role in the accident.

No I think you’ll find Meath County Council were found culpable for their part. This accident was a result of a number of factors and blame was shared out. I only used this from memory to show there is no problem laying blame on the road if the road plays a part

So the council was prosecuted like the garage?

Bus Éireann, Meath County Council and Keltank Ltd have been fined a total of €2.2m over the Navan bus crash.
Five schoolgirls were killed when their bus crashed near Kentstown, Co Meath, in 2005.
Bus Éireann was fined €2m and Meath County Council and Keltank were each fined €100,000.
Bus Éireann, Meath County Council and Keltank Ltd have pleaded guilty to various charges in relation to the crash.

Thank you for that I was not aware of it.

You wanna learn to read cause he never said that. And as a “professional” driver as you love to say I don’t see how you could disagree with drive at a speed appropriate to the conditions and driving competency

Yes he did Vinny. As a matter fact I have met this man a couple of times & its the same hymm sheet. You also missed the point Im making. Im not promoting drivers speeding. Im saying its not the main problem. What I want is proper road safety not lip service.

Was it a private conversation or is there somewhere I could look it up?

Speeding is the main problem and this months tragic accidents involving drivers driving on roads they were familiar with coupled with the massive damaged caused should go some way to highlighting that.

Yes he has met with the irha on several occasions same old story slow down. Look up their web site. However when its put to him or any other civil servants about real road safety issues he is the world champion of hide & seek.

I’ve no doubt he said slow down. I would like to know where he said slow down and all your problems would be over.

Did he also remind the IRHA of the dangers of tailgating? I know of at least two fatal road accidents involving articulated trucks directly caused by this very practice in Louth over the last few years.

Vinny if as you believe speeding is the main problem why is it that all the investment in preventing it has not brought better results. We have speed cameras all over the country & Gardai are out with radar guns on every road that I travel on & you say its still the problem. Im astounded at its utter failure for the cost involved.

Vinny Im glad you brought that up & yes its another problem & there is a law against it. How many prosecutions for it? Very few. This is the problem at hand Vinny. We all blame speed for road deaths & the rsa say slow down but as you have pointed out this is not the complete story. I want compliance in all the road trafic laws by all road users & by the people that control the infrastructure.

Speed Cameras all over the country? Gardai on every road? Please tell me you are a troll and not a “professional driver”.

By using that argument to say I’m wrong you ARE implying that because of these measures no one speeds anymore.

I’ve investigated 6 fatal accidents 5 were a direct result of excessive speed. 1 was a drunk driver. I assisted on the other two I referred to.

Speed is the main cause of fatal accidents. NOT THE ONLY CAUSE the main cause

Vinnie Speed speed speed. If you want to know main causes of road crashes read my comment down bottom

Exactly. The annual percentage of accidents that the RSA usually says accounts for speeding is around 40%. This corresponds not to the cause of the accident but to the fact that 40% of cars were forensically found to have been speeding at the time of the accident. Now considering deaths are a rare occurence on motorways, in fact they mainly happen on regional roads, where I would say at least 25-30% of cars are speeding at any given time, 40% isn’t a big shocker.

Brendan thats a big number. How much money is being spent on speed enforcement because on those statistics its a failure or those statistics are not accurate.

If you wanna talk to me reply to me don’t hide your response in another post

Vinny I responded. I was not aware of that prosecution.

“People like you” who are “people like you”?

People who’ve told parents there sons are dead?

People who’ve investigated countless accidents that could have been avoided we’re it not for speed?

People who had to take so called professional drivers to court for dangerous driving?

Grow up, I’m well aware of the reasons for fatal and serious injury accidents and speed is the main cause.

Well Vinny while I commend your work & what you do I too myself have had to take bodies out of wrecks & help give cpr. So dont think that people from the authorities have a monopoly on that.Remember the emergency personel are always the last to an accident. People like me witness them & see there true causes. So Ive done my growing through experience not just training.

@Mjhint, it’s actually 25%: http://www.keepdramaofftheroads.ie/effects-speeding

And if you take a look at the RSA’s free speed survey for 2011 ( http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Road%20Safety/Speed/Speed_survey_2011.pdf ) the amount of cars speeding at any given time is actually pretty close to that, if not above.

@ mjhint Seriously your one of the most professional drivers who is an expert on road safety alway first to accidents and pulling bodies of of wrecks and seeing the cause of these accidents!

Seriously there is no talking to you you honestly know it all.

Your a lorry driver not the only driver. Who claims to have a monopoly on attending accidents?

You might come across accidents no more or no less than any other motorist including the emergency services. The difference with you ant the emergency services is you’re not called to scenes because of the simple fact you do not have the expertise?

Same as Eddie Stobart will not call the emergency services if he want a lorry load of hot air delivered

Vinny I have seen a huge amount accidents over the last 30 years & your arrogance suggests the authorities knows best. I dispute that. People like me are constantly complaining about driving standards & more importantly infrastructure standards & both yourself & Mr Brett tell us no its speed thats the major issue. Well I have different opinion. You are right I dont have the expertise when it comes to the emergency services but both you & mr Brett dont have it when it comes to safe driving. My qualifications & experience outway yours by a very large factor.

@mjhint “My experience outweighs yours” now that is the statement one would expect from a know it all young male driver.

Be a man and tell me my age and driving experience which you seem to know so much about.

@mjhint you have achieved one thing tonight and that is to keep me from ever posting on the same thread as you again because seriously…….

And another thing stop saying “professional driver” because that confuses some people and they don’t realise you’re actually a lorry driver

Well vinny for 17 years I have been leaving dublin port & going as far away as africa & the edges of Europe & the US. Do you really think your experience is going to include that. Unless we shared the same job Vinny & your name does not ring any bells for me. So even if your in your 90s I say you have a bit of catching up to do.

@Vinny Healy @Mjhint. Great banter you two.

@mj I didn’t ask for yours I asked for mine.

Oh the famous speeding camera vans, are they the ones parked in the same spot time after time??? Are they the ones that drivers warn other drivers about??? They are a crock of shit… As I said there are many factors causing deaths on our roads, so let’s all at least agree on that, I presume vinny you are either a guard or a paramedic ( have not read all the posts , in case you have mentioned your occupation) tho my presumption maybe in correct. Let’s get one thing very straight here, I have many friends In the guards, some good, some not so good but one things for sure, there are not enough L plate drivers being prosecuted for breaking one of the main laws… Driving without a full license holder, every day in the village I live in at least 20 L plate drivers are on the own some , get these shitheads of the road for a start, let the guards be seen to be proactive, hide In the ditches of country roads, not on a man road, a 100 meters from a 100 km road on an 80km stretch to get easy money…. Enough of the ol Irish attitude here and don’t get me started on drink driving, locals in my village full of guys getting into cars after a skin full AND IT’S KNOWN , nothing done. bloody country is in a frigging shambles.

Oh my god, Vinny Healy and the peskey RSA infitrate America and doctor a report just to annoy mjhint. Will they stop at nothing

FACT SHEET

Speeding

Approximately 6.2 million reported crashes occurred in 2004. Speeding – defined as exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions – is a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes. Speed reduces the amount of available time needed to avoid a crash, increases the likelihood of crashing and increases the severity of a crash once it occurs. The public needs to be made more aware of the dangers of speeding. If we are to combat this dangerous, life-threatening behavior, we must devote increased resources to better enforcement, including more law enforcement officers to patrol the highways, and we must support technological advances, such as video cameras (also known as “photo radar”), to target aggressive, speeding drivers.

SPEEDING FACTS

Speeding-related crashes resulted in 13,192 fatalities in 2004. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, 2005)

The economic costs of crashes that involved excessive speed were $40.4 billion, representing 18 percent of total crash costs and an average cost of $144 for every person in the United States. (NHTSA, 2002)

When speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph, the energy released in a crash more than doubles. (IIHS, 2003)

Research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that when speed limits were raised by many states in 1996, travel speeds increased and motor vehicle fatalities went up approximately 15 percent on Interstate highways in those states.

The relative proportion of speeding-related crashes to all crashes decreases with increasing driver age. In 2002, 39 percent of male drivers 15 to 20 years old who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash. (NHTSA, 2003)

Alcohol and speeding are a deadly combination. In 2002, 42 percent of drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to only 15 percent of sober drivers involved in fatal crashes. (NHTSA, 2003)

In 2002, 38 percent of all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes were speeding. The percentage of speeding involvement in fatal crashes was approximately twice as high for motorcyclists as for drivers of passenger cars or light trucks, and the percentage of alcohol involvement was about 45 percent higher for motorcyclists. (NHTSA, 2003)

SPEED LIMIT LAW FACTS

When Texas increased its speed limit from 55 mph to 70 mph, the average speed on a sampling of Texas’s urban freeways and interstate highways increased substantially. Prior to the increase, 15 percent of cars on these roads were exceeding 70 mph and 4 percent were exceeding 75 mph. After the speed limit increase, 50 percent were exceeding 70 mph and 17 percent were traveling faster than 75 mph. (IIHS, 2003)

When Virginia raised its speed limit to 65 mph in 1988, the percentage exceeding 70 mph went from 8 percent in 1988 to 39 percent by 1994. (IIHS, 2003)

In states where speed limits were raised to 65 mph in 1987, the higher limits are causing 15-20 percent more deaths on rural interstates each year. In states that raised rural speed limits, more than 400 lives are lost each year because of higher limits. (IIHS, 2003)

As of June 2003, 29 states have raised speed limits to 70 mph or higher on portions of their roads and highways. (IIHS, 2003)

In a public opinion poll conducted by Lou Harris for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in May 1996, 52 percent of those polled said they were concerned that they will feel unsafe on the highways because drivers would go “much faster,” exceeding even the posted limits. In a 2001 Lou Harris poll, 77 percent of those polled said they want to see more done about speeding on local streets and highways.

SPEED PHOTO RADAR

Radar signals can be used to trigger cameras that photograph speeding vehicles as they pass a specified point. These photo radar devices use a low-powered doppler radar speed sensor to detect speeding vehicles and trigger a motor-driven camera and flash unit to photograph vehicles traveling faster than a set speed. Like red light cameras, speed cameras generate photographic evidence that gives the date, time, place and vehicle speed. Currently, only four states (AZ, CA, CO, OR) and DC have begun using speed photo radar. (IIHS 2003)

Speed photo radar has been used for more than 20 years in a number of countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan. (IIHS, 2003)

In Victoria, Australia, speed photo radar was introduced in late 1989, and police reported that within three months the number of offenders triggering photo radar decreased by 50 percent. Deaths fell 30 percent in 1990 compared with 1989. The percentage of vehicles significantly exceeding the speed limit has decreased from about 20 percent in 1990 to less than 4 percent in 1994. (IIHS, 2003)

Research from British Columbia, Canada, shows a 7.4 percent decline in crashes and up to 20 percent fewer deaths the first year speed photo radar was used. The proportion of speeding vehicles declined from 66 percent in 1996 to less than 40 percent today, and researchers also attribute a 10.5 percent decline in daytime injuries to photo radar. (IIHS, 2003)

September 2005