Last year May was the most dangerous month of the year on Irish roads with 29 people losing their lives. The bank holiday weekend alone accounted for 6 of those tragedies. With this year’s May bank holiday upon us and with a decent weather forecast, there no doubt will be plenty of traffic on our motorways and coastal roads this weekend.
Make it a memorable one for all the right reasons and slow down, wear your seat belt and don’t drink and drive. In fact don’t anything and drive, just drive. Don’t play with the radio, answer your phone or get distracted, it’s not a multi task environment, just get wherever you’re going safely.
As a nation, our road behaviour is improving. In a recent survey on road behaviours conducted by AXA in 2009, Irish drivers admitted to being more aware of road dangers:
- 95% find drink driving dangerous compared to 92% in 2008
- 94% find answering the phone without a hands-free kit dangerous compared to 89% in 2008
- 95% stated that driving fast behind the car in front was dangerous compared to 90% in 2008
However it’s one thing to have an opinion and another to put it into practice. For example, I know that lack of exercise could kill me, yet it’s hard to get off the couch after a long day in the office. But at the end of the day, this choice only affects me. If I drop dead on my sofa due to my own inactivity, I won’t be taking down innocent bystanders with me, who are guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that’s the reality of road safety. The decisions you make affect others. It’s a social responsibility and we all need to tow the line or else stay off the roads.
Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Ireland
Related article: Irish Times called ‘Gardaí target persistent speeding’ / 22nd April