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.
Links
- AA Roadwatch Traffic
- Boards.ie Motors Forum
- CSO: Transport Stats, Ireland
- DCAL FM: Live Drive Forum
- Dept. of Environment, Heritage & Local Government
- Dept. of Transport
- Gardai: Safer Driving Tips
- I hate driving in Ireland
- IrishSpeedTraps.com
- Road Safety Authority (Ireland)
- Road Safety Council (Northern Ireland)
- RTÉ Road Safety Site
- Rules of the Road
- Rules of the Road PDF (5.5MB)
4 Comments
Like all other acts of ignorance on Irish roads, it all leads back to:
A: A proper education (If you don’t tell little Johnny “That’s Wrong!”, he won’t know and grow up an insufferable, ill-mannered Pratt who ends up buying an SUV and a horsebox)
B: Enforcement. Everyone knows the Guards only catch you if you go a few kilometers over the limit on a dual carriageway or haven’t’ you tax or insurance disc displayed (what is an NCT?) when they pretend to check people at one of their “checkpoints” (Tax, Insurance, Grand!).
And if you have a foreign licence you are immune from pretty much anything.
The lesson here is sadly:
Go on, you’re grand, no one cares, free for all, do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you. And they will.
What annoys me are the parents who drive glorified Panzer tanks the half a mile from their house to the shop or school. Why do they need an All Terrain Vehicle to tackle the mean streets of suburban Ireland?
Just ban ALL women from driving! Just think of the savings and benefits!
‘Baby On Board’ Stickers actually mean:
1) I am a shite driver, so Stay Away from me for your own safety!
2) I am likely to slam on the brakes for no reason without notice, and then indicate into a junction.
3) there’s no point in me using my rear view mirror, because I can see Fuck All out my back window anyway for all the Cuddly Toys.
4) I am very likely to stop in the middle of the road to talk to the other ‘Baby On Board’ Driver parked on a double yellow line picking up her 2 older brats from school.