Well said.

If that is to be accepted as a plausible explanation, how do you explain that last year, the accident rate was the lowest on record? Did all these roads suddenly change on January 1st?

Also the RSA and the Gardai were all quick to pat themselves on the back and accept credit after last years figures. Going by the same measure, they should all blame themselves for this year, but human nature being what it is they will blame the roads, lack of money, etc.

I heard Gay is trying to organise a pot hole for everyone in the audience.

Joe, read it again. Road deaths have decreased for the last few years due to the amount of people leaving the country. There is far less traffic on the roads. The aa road watch is boring now, because there’s not enough people to cause traffic jams. The RSA and Gay Byrne can pat themselves on their backs for what they do, but really emigration is doing it for them. Less people on the roads and the roads becoming more and more dangerous to drive on. This country is slowly but surely heading towards becoming a third world country

Ok Tom but have all the people who left our shores suddenly come back on the 1st Jan 2013? How do you explain the sudden increase?

I understand what you are saying Vinny, I don’t know the full ins and outs of the deaths caused so far. When road tax was introduced into this country it was for the up keep and improvement of the roads. Am I right or wrong? The filling in of pot holes, the drains on the sides of roads not been cleared properly, the patching of road ways, has become desperate in the last 18 months. 1 other thing while I am on here. How much tax do cyclists pay? Come to dungarvan and look at the money been spent on cycle ways. Drive around the county and avoid the potholes

Tom, unfortunately you are incorrect, in fact there is no such thing as road tax in Ireland and it is specifically called Motor Tax to avoid the argument that the money should be spent on the upkeep of the road. Motorists contribute huge amounts of money to the government funds and as such the funds are not ring fenced for any specific nature so they go into the black hole of oblivion where no one really knows where the money goes.

I personally think the initiatives started by the RSA have had an affect in lowering the road deaths over the years, emigration, better roads and safer cars have of course helped the figures and the reason we might be seeing a surge (I hope not though) is that the initiatives implemented by the RSA are all short term focused, value for money initiatives rather than all out long term proper road safety campaigns and I think we may be seeing the effects of that short term thinking.

And another major factor is the vehicle manufacturers. Airbags, impact bars, crash zones all help. Not Noel Brett sitting scratching himself behind a desk thinking of new ways to torture the motorist

I’ll try again obviouslt they objected to my description. Anyway Elmo. Bet you’re glad to get that off your chest. But i do agree with you. Bunch of useless T*ats and don’t start me on Conor F*ughnan from the AA or as i like to call them ‘ The continuity RSA’

This is one topic that’s close to my heart. I’ve been working on the road in the vehicle recovery industry for 15 years now and I could pinpoint old accident black spots on a map for you, where the roads have been sorted and it was like they flicked a switch, no accidents anymore. More funding to councils to improve the roads in current black spot areas will sort it.

@ Elmo,

Tell me about it. The N1 had the worst death record of any road in the republic. Even worse than donegal. Hey presto the M1.

@ Josh – ‘ The continuity RSA’, take a bow sir, comment of the day!

They are not called car accidents they are called car collisions, its not an accicent as something/one is always at fauls.

Get back under your bridge troll

The real causes are speeding and bad drivers that are to confident go into a bend at 70 miles a hour and its game over.

I agree but using fear as a tactic is only a short term solution to the problems that arise in the motoring domain. After awhile the fear goes away and people begin driving as they wish again. A proper long term solution is required such as making everyone repeat their test every 5 years, provide proper driver education and training in secondary schools as well as private tracks around the country, provide incentives for people to do advanced driving courses, improve the road network, force insurance companies to provide discounts for newer safer cars, give VRT and tax breaks for safer cars. The problem is all these ideas cost money rather than make it but if we really want safe roads its money the government has to cough up somehow.

Like Gay Byrne for instance!!

Not every car with an L plate has a leaner driver driving it. When my nephew was learning to drive he did it in his mothers car. My sister just left the L plate on even when she was driving to and from work.”M50″. She has being driving 26 years. With full licence.

According to the stats on the Garda website, 30 people had been killed up to 9am Friday 15th Feb. this compares to 18 for the same period last year. How does this equate to a 23% increase?? Including the 3 people who sadly lost their lives over this weekend, we are at 33 for the year to date, an increase of 15 road deaths on last years figures and equating to a much much higher percentage increase. Please use correct figures when reporting on something so serious.

Their stats on drink related accidents are way off. How can they say an accident is drink related if only the passenger in the back seat is over the drink drive limit or drunk.

Colm. As on many occasions on the journal I have commented on this text driving offense. The RSA, Gardai, Dept of transport, road safety spokespersons for different parties, not one of them have the bottle to push for a ban for those caught committing this offense. There has been many programs on tv and radio about the dangers of drink driving yet not one about an offense which is even more dangerous and that’s texting while driving.