ShiteDrivers.com - Bad driving on Irish roads exposed! » Children

Female SUV drivers and mobiles

georgev — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:34:14 +0000

Am I the only one now who is now totally pissed off with the amount of SUV women drivers who continue to use their mobile phones when driving. It’s as if the law doesn’t apply to them, only to the rest of us. I have now started blowing my horn at any I see on the phone, and wagging my finger saying No!!. These are the very people who have more to loose, as they usually have infants on board. It seems they don’t know how to pull in to use the phone, or maybe bluetooth technology has them baffled, as you never see them wearing bluetooth earpieces, it might interfere with the hairstyle or maybe clash with the colour of the shades parked on their heads. Maybe it’s time for the law to be changed, with 4 penalty points, or even 6, if you are caught using a mobile when driving.

I am also appalled at the number of truck and van drivers who still use their phones when driving, you would imaging that the Road Hauliers Association, who pontificate about everything else, might insist that their members obey the law on mobiles. I personally feel that it is more dangerous to drive while talking on a mobile then driving with one or two pints, this is purely my personal view but I, and the majority of my friends, have always felt that speed, and driving while on a mobile, are the most common causes of accidents on our roads. Escessive speeding and driving while on a hand held mobile hould be treated in the same way that drinkers are now penalised.

Worst Parking ever?

BoysinBlue2006 — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:32:20 +0000

I’m a student in the National Botanic Gardens and frequently eat lunch in my car. Every lunchtime I am amazed at how many people show complete disregard for the rules. I dont know how many times I’ve had to squeeze into my car because some ignorant driver had parked too close. The other common rule broken is the one way system in place, everyday there’s someone who thinks the rule doesn’t apply to them.

Just the other week I was astounded by what I believe to possibly be the worst parking ever. While eating lunch I noticed this car come the wrong way around the corner.

I still can’t believe what happened next. The car stopped and the driver got out and casually walked into the main building. The car was parked for at least 5-10 mins before the driver finally returned at which point I realised that she had left a very young child in the car. Just what gave her the idea that this was sensible is beyond me, especially since there were spaces available to park in.

Road Safety entering the Secondary School Curriculum

niallok — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:16:54 +0000

According to RTÉ News, this morning:

A new Road Safety Programme targeted at Transition Year students was launched today.

The new programme, sponsored by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin (pictured, right) and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, will be available for schools from this coming September.

It is currently being piloted in some 50 schools.

The programme covers issues such as seatbelts and airbags, driver fatigue, drink/drug driving, enforcement, basic first aid at road crashes, emergency services and rehabilitation.

The programme provides for visiting speakers, trips out of school, projects and case studies.

The programme does not include driving lessons.

Minister Hanafin noted that ‘while 2007 was one of the safest years on Irish roads in over 40 years, the stark fact is that 338 people lost their lives last year’.

She said education is key to reducing road casualties.

It’s expected that the programme will now be rolled out to 500 schools. Maybe this will improve Minister Dempsey’s "approval rating"…

More specific information on the programme itself can be found on the Department of Education web site, here.

Thank you, Radio Kerry

ShiteDrivers.com — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:02:24 +0000

Thank you to Deirdre Walsh of Radio Kerry’s “Kerry Today” programme who spoke to Niall O’Keeffe of ShiteDrivers.com this morning from 9.30am. They spoke about various aspects of the site and bad driving with particular reference to Kerry drivers – speed limits being too high on bad roads, elderly farmers on their tractors, bad parking, children not being strapped in correctly and more.

We do not currently have a recording of this interview, but if we get one, it will be put onto the Media page with the others.

Cycling woes

Spudz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:58:35 +0000

I`m a cyclist, and by jaysus do i see some gobshites every single day. When i cycle i wear a US Army Hi-Vis vest so there is absolutely no possible way that i cannot be seen, yet the amount of scrapes and near misses i`ve had is ridiculous,- most notably and recently a female driver coming out of a junction.

I had the right of way, and had she bothered to look right she would have seen me, but no she drove straight out, forcing me to turn sharply and brake suddenly, (all male cyclists should know the ‘fear’ of braking suddenly and getting the nuts bet off the handlebars.)

She also braked, obviously after noticing a big bright orange thing almost hitting the side of her car, but what happened next really took me aback, a child that was STANDING in the back went flying between the driver and passenger seat and whacked his head on the gearstick, she lowered her window where i was and shouted at me ” look what ya f**kin did”………….

I`m considering buying a foghorn to attach to the handlebars.

Kids can be shite drivers too!

niallok — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:10:59 +0000

Took these pictures from the front upstairs window at home. I have a fundamental problem with the insane decision of parents to give their kids fast and powerful quad-bikes for Christmas – particularly when the kids are so young and have such a disregard for safety as shown here.

Pity the first picture came out so badly, because it showed the kid with the helmet on standing at the side of the road watching while his helmet-less friend sped around at what seemed to be about 30mph.

What are the laws governing these things? Is a license required for them? (I seem to remember the Sinclair C5 needing a driving license in Ireland, but not in the UK – would the speed and power of these quad bikes not mean that they should be licensed too?).

I remember driving around on them when I was around 18 (at a scout jamboree, no less…) and even though they were speed restricted and we were driving on a proper track under supervision, I thought they were potentially dangerous enough machines even then. Surely a 13 or 14 year old child shouldn’t be able to whizz around a housing estate unsupervised at 20 to 30mph?