R.R.N.......Really Rural Nightmares
We follow on yesterday’s post with some more really useful info on safe Driving in the Country.
The level of danger on an Irish country road varies a lot depending on the time of day, the day of the week, the season of the year and the intensity of the Farming in any given area; and these are only the scenarios that the Driver really has no control over. The driver does, however, have control over how he or she drives when confronted with these variables and this will play a great part in staying safe and not ending up in a field or on top of a stone wall or in the case of my precious Driving School Car embedded in a Garden wall alongside another vehicle. More of that later. Just in case anyone dares to think that I was behind the wheel during this aforementioned Ballet, I hasten to add that at the time I was two miles away at my Computer Desk!
All of the previously mentioned variables have always been there but today they have a greater significance due to the fact that there are many more houses now built and under construction in the country and on the outskirts of all Towns and Cities. This has lead to a huge increase in the volume of traffic on these roads. That volume of traffic, to a greater extent is now comprised of Learner Drivers who are coming onto the roads in ever increasing numbers. This leads to a much greater chance of an experienced Driver meeting many more inexperienced Drivers than previously.
The vast bulk of Learner Drivers are not taking sufficient Driving Lessons because the Legislation that we have or should have is just not being enforced. Therefore the chances of having to deal with a learner - created emergency on a country road are very high indeed. Even with all the skill in the world there is not perhaps a whole lot you can do if confronted with a car heading straight for you on the wrong side of the road round a bend! Before examining the particularly dangerous permanent aspects of a Rural Road its worth pointing out that any Driving School worth it’s salt should be training all it’s pupils on Irish country roads and introducing them to the hidden and not so hidden dangers. A very high proportion of your Driving career will be spent on rural roads so it’s essential to grasp the basics and be constantly aware of what you can expect around the next corner.
The time of day is an important yardstick…..during rush hours which are early mornings and homecoming times there will be a lot of drivers in a “helluva” hurry and add to their excessive speed, their lack of experience and you have a lethal cocktail. Of course excessive speed isn’t restricted to Learner Drivers; more adult motorists who have got away for years with sloppy or dangerous habits on their local road are getting closer by the day to an accident, when they meet their counterpart doing the same thing in the opposite direction!
The day of the week has a bearing on the volume of traffic wherever you are. The end of the week sees a much greater volume of cars on the road as Company Representatives head home from all corners of the globe; again in one hell of a hurry. Company car drivers who live in the big smoke are generally not so rural road savvy in their first few years on the road and present a big problem when navigating an unfamiliar stretch. Overtaking in a dangerous place is usually the main reason for the Big Bang theory here. You know the start of the Universe and all that, or in this scenario …the End of it, for the driver concerned!
I think I will save the comments on the other two situations for the next post, so until then safe driving and watch out for the Muddy Field where the Road should be ……….
(c) Astral School of Motoring 2000-2005
Astral Driving School.Limerick
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