I am not a very confident driver – I will openly admit that. I once arrived home and was shocked to discover several ugly brown stripes along the side of my white car. I was convinced that I had been the victim of a ‘hit and run’ while my car had been parked up. However, my parents, on the other hand, took one look and decided it more likely to be a close encounter with a garden fence. Upon reflection, I did have some difficulty turning near my friend’s house which is enclosed by a wood-stained fence.
My Dad still laughs about finding the 1970s throwback which I believed may have glanced off my vehicle – after all you don’t see so many brown cars these days. In any case, the brown paint wiped off, so no harm done, unlike a later encounter with a different fence…
So safe to say, I have a love/hate relationship with driving, but I think that partly stems from the impatience of other drivers. Everybody appears to be in a rush to get from A to B and woe betide anyone who dithers or hesitates – you are likely to be on the receiving end of a blared horn, a flash of lights or an aggressive overtake, often accompanied by some rude hand gestures.
However, there is a serious point to all this; driving can be dangerous, and an unintentional mistake can sometimes have catastrophic consequences. So far this year there have been 48 fatalities on our roads – an average of more than one person per week. It’s worrying that this figure is still so high given the advanced safety features and technological advances associated with most modern cars – but clearly, despite increased vehicle safety, driver error and elevated speed remain key contributory factors in most fatal accidents.
The extended delay of the railway line into Grand Central Station has inevitably led to increased traffic on the roads, resulting in stressed and frustrated drivers stuck in traffic jams and therefore a likelihood of more accidents and incidents as drivers take risks and/or become agitated and distracted
This week The Irish News reported that there were “close to 100 snarl ups across more than 30 miles of road in Belfast” and this was all during the rush hour period on Monday. Ironically some of this gridlock is down to the ongoing work at the new Grand Central Station which has affected the public transport infrastructure. So, at a time when people are being encouraged to do their bit for the environment by ditching their cars in favour of public transport the infrastructure is simply not in place. It took Translink until Thursday to announce that the key Lisburn and Belfast will finally reopen on Sunday October 13 “if all goes to plan”.
The extended delay of the line has inevitably led to increased traffic on the roads, resulting in stressed and frustrated drivers stuck in traffic jams and therefore a likelihood of more accidents and incidents as drivers take risks and/or become agitated and distracted.
Bring into the mix the lack of availability of MOT tests and the fact that some bodies responsible for maintenance and road safety have stretched or limited resources – and you have a bit of a perfect storm.
It is a challenging time to be on our roads, particularly for newly qualified drivers like my younger sister. These fledgling drivers are simply trying to find their feet (wheels) but are also subject to aggression and bullying from other drivers for perhaps being a little over-cautious at roundabouts and junctions or sticking rigidly to their restricted speed limit. Whatever happened to courtesy and patience? Everyone on the roads today was a learner or new driver at some stage so surely must appreciate how daunting it can be.
Incidentally, I was reassured this week to see that my sister’s school has taken the initiative to invite all Year 14 pupils to attend a “hard-hitting safe driving presentation”. Hopefully this will drive home the importance of driver responsibility and encourage her to be safer and more confident on the roads. I also hope she will be better than me at avoiding fences (and brown cars…).
