The Road Safety Authority has been receiving numerous letters from members of the public, urging it to reduce speed limits and highlighting the potential for serious crashes, reports Breaking News.
Complaints range from “boy racers” driving at high speeds through a town centre, to “lethal” overtakes on solid white lines, and a narrow road described as resembling a “racetrack.”
Some writers noted a noticeable increase in reckless driving since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, reports Breaking News.
These letters arrive during another grim week on Irish roads, with several deaths reported by gardaí over the past seven days.
One email came from a person who had recently relocated to a quiet one-way street that also features a cycle lane.
They wrote: “I have witnessed cars speeding in excess of 50 kilometres per hour just feet from young families and myself.
“I have to presume the limit is 30kph but even that is excessive given the distance to both people and pets. The road also hosts ice cream outlet which attracts many young families to the area,” reports Breaking News.
Another individual said they risked their life walking in a Dublin village with no designated pedestrian crossings.
“There is not one sign indicating the 30 kmph speed limit and no traffic calming measures in place to force people to slow down,” they said, reports Breaking News.
“It’s just one big, long open road, making it easy for people to speed,” reports Breaking News.
Someone else reported that “boy racers” regularly drove through their town centre at high speeds, often on the wrong side of the road.
An email said: “They do this showing off in front of people. Their behaviour driving on the roads is very dangerous. I have reported it to the local guards here but unfortunately for some reason they don’t seem to be too bothered about it; nearly saying what can they do about it,” reports Breaking News.
Another person said that driving felt increasingly hazardous, citing speeding and distracted motorists.
Their message said: “In the past four months I have had three novice drivers back into me while I am stationary in traffic.
“Each time the weather has been wet. I am not sure if they are unable to judge the stoppage time for a car when the roads are wet, or if they are on their phones or whatever,” reports Breaking News.
Someone else described narrowly avoiding collisions multiple times due to cars taking corners at speed and veering into oncoming lanes.
They said: “Something drastically needs to be done, or we will continue to see road deaths increase.
“As stated above, I drive the motorway five days a week twice a day and I never come across any [gardaí] whatsoever,” reports Breaking News.
A school crossing warden detailed challenges with bicycles, e-scooters, and other devices zooming past as children crossed.
An email said: “[They are] violating the rules of the roads every day and endangering both me and school children.
“It is impossible to report such crimes because there is no way of identifying these criminals as they do not have a registration number, and my hands are full with a stop sign and using my body to protect children,” reports Breaking News.
In response to the letters, the Road Safety Authority stated that speed control was one of the most effective strategies for preventing serious accidents.
A spokeswoman said: “Setting speed limits that are appropriate for the type of road and their use is an internationally recognised, best practice approach to achieving ambitious reductions in road user fatalities and serious injuries,” reports Breaking News.
She noted that the RSA had welcomed the move to a default 60 km/h limit on many rural roads earlier this year, and said it had strong public support.
A survey conducted in November last year revealed that 60 percent of drivers consider rural roads unsafe, and the same percentage supported cutting speed limits, reports Breaking News.
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