Category Archives: General Driving Advice

20% of fatalities in 2013 NOT wearing a seatbelt

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An analysis of road fatality statistics has revealed that almost 1 in 5 vehicle occupants killed on Irish roads in 2013 were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the collision, meaning that as many as 21 lives could potentially have been saved if they had been wearing their seatbelt.

To me, the video says it all. Quite how anyone in this day and age would consider, for 1 second, getting into a car and not belting up is beyond me. If that’s you, listen to the words of the consultant. He is describing you, not as a person, but as a potential “ejection” who might not have a head or a face. Now think about the aftermath of an incident like that. Not about how you’ll feel, you’ll be dead no doubt, but about how your family or friends will feel. What about the poor person who has to formally identify you?

Don’t be selfish. Wear a seatbelt EVERY time you get into a vehicle.

Use of a vehicle horn

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The Rules of the Road state:

Only use a horn to:
(i) warn other road users of on-coming danger, or
(ii) make them aware of your presence for safety reasons when reasonably necessary.

Remember, the horn does not give you the right of way.

Do not use your horn in a built-up area between 23:30 hrs and 07:00 hrs unless there is an emergency

So there we have it. Clear and concise. No way it can be misinterpreted.

A horn should not be used to lambast other road users for mistakes. We all make them, even you Mr/Miss/Mrs Perfect!!
Neither should it be used to beep at learner drivers who stall or are slow moving off at junctions, as happened to a pupil of mine this morning. Here’s what happened:

Sitting at a set of traffic lights, waiting on then turning green. The light changes, immediately my pupil (a 17 year old, on his first real venture on the road) goes to move off and stalls. Within 2 seconds, not 1, not 2 but 3 separate people were blasting their horns. Not mild little beeps, no, full blown blasts of 5 and 6 seconds with only brief pauses for the horn to regain it’s breath. How the young lad held it together to move off properly, after only holding the traffic up for 20 seconds, I’ll never know!!

What did they expect this idiotic behaviour to achieve? Only they can answer.
Ok, I can you are delayed (you must be soooo important). I get that it can be irritating (if you’ve zero patience). I also get that you were probably, maybe still are, a learner (on your 6th provisional) but all that kind of behaviour is likely to do is make the learner (or otherwise nervous fully licensed driver) panic more and therefore delay you further!!

Use your horn in the way it’s designed to be used, not as a display of superiority!!

Detector Loops

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Detector Loops with markings

Driving along the road, coming up to a set of traffic lights, for example, have you ever noticed black lines, forming squares or rectangles in the tarmac (circled in red in the above picture) and wondered what they were?
They are called Detector Loops and understanding how they work will help you anticipate whether a traffic light you’re approaching is likey to change against you or help you to activate a filter light if you intend to turn right. They are often found on busy main roads and at junctions with housing estates etc.

After the tarmac is laid, at traffic light controlled junctions, the contractor sawcuts the road surface and installs coils of wire into the groove. The sawcut is then filled with a rubber mastic compound to seal the road surface. These wires are laid under the road surface back to the junction control box which changes the sequence of the traffic lights.

Looking at the above picture, the road running bottom to top is the main road and therefore has priority for traffic flow. Once traffic is freely moving through this junction bottom to top or top to bottom the vehicles will pass over the detector loops (circled in red) sending signals to the control box which keeps the main road lights at green. If traffic moves onto the detector loops on either of the two side roads they too send a signal to the control box saying there’s traffic now waiting. If there is a sufficient gap in traffic on the main road, i.e. no vehicle is moving across the detector loops, the lights on the main road will turn red, allowing the traffic on the side road(s) their chance to go. If no traffic moves onto the detector loops on the right or left the light may never turn red on the main road. This knowledge can now help you to anticipate the chance of a traffic light turning red as you approach. In other words, as you approach the light look to the side roads (if visible) to see if there’s traffic waiting. If so, there’s a possibility the light might turn red against you. If there’s a big enough gap between you and the vehicle in front this possibility is increased. The light could also turn red against you anyway as the light sequences are normally on a timer which can be overridden depending on traffic flow.

Turning Right
Look at the car circled in blue, it is waiting to turn right.
When the light goes green this car should move forward of the stop line and sit in the turning box. This box also contains a detector loop (red arrow pointing to it). However, if the car stays where it is in the picture the control box will not know that someone is sitting in the junction waiting to turn right. This means the the right hand filter light will not come on and the car could miss their turn at the lights. This is something I see on the roads day in, day out. Not moving into the box affects traffic flow and could, if you were sitting your driving test, result in you failing.

This post is for information only. This information does not reduce your responsibility to assess the situation or road/traffic conditions in front of you as you approach junctions.

Icy Road Sign Covered with Frost & Ice Winter Alaska

How to deal with black ice

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With the temperatures dropping sharply recently and winter truly upon us, here are a few tips to help you identify and deal with black ice when driving on Irish roads, should you be unfortunate enough to encounter it,

How to spot Black Ice
Black Ice is actually clear. It forms without creating any bubbles so it blends in with the road surface or footpath. Black ice is dangerous precisely because it’s hard to detect in advance. Black Ice forms on surfaces like roads and footpaths because of a light freezing rain or because of melting and re-freezing of snow, water or ice.

Black ice almost always forms in very smooth, very glossy sheets. This glossy surface is your indication of potential black ice. If the majority of the road you’re driving on appears a dull black colour, but the patch just ahead of you appears shiny, you may be about to drive onto black ice.

Where will I find Black Ice?

  • Black ice forms most commonly at night or in the early morning when the temperatures are at their lowest, or when the sun isn’t around to warm the roads.
  • Black ice tends to form on parts of the road without much sunshine, such as along a tree-lined route or a tunnel. It will also form more frequently on roads that are less travelled on.
  • Black ice forms readily on bridges, overpasses and the road beneath overpasses. This is because the cold air is able to cool both the top and under the bridge or overpass, bringing about faster freezing.

What should I do if I hit black ice?
Firstly, don’t panic! Stay calm and don’t overreact.

  • Try to do as little as possible
  • Come completely off the accelerator
  • Do not brake
  • Try to keep the steering wheel as straight as possible
  • If you feel the back of your car sliding to the left, steer gently to the left. The same applies to the right. Over-steering may cause you to spin.
  • If you can, go down the gears. Selecting a lower gear will give you more control.
  • If you do skid apply the minimum pressure to your brakes. If your car is fitted with ABS (anti-lock braking system) stay on the brakes. Even if you feel a shudder/banging below your foot, this the the ABS doing it’s job. If you don’t have ABS pump the brakes by quickly pressing them and releasing them but do this gently.

How to avoid an accident or at least minimise the risk
There are several things that you can do to reduce the chances of being surprised by black ice. While knowing how to drive on it remains a number one priority, here are some other things to do:

  • Travel slowly. Don’t try to speed during icy weather as this will take away any control you might have had on the black ice.
  • Don’t tailgate.
  • Keep your windscreen clear of ice, snow, dirt, and anything else that can prevent you from seeing out of it properly. To get snow and ice off the windscreen of your car, you might be tempted to turn on your windscreen wipers. It might seem like the wipers and the washer fluid will work, but they don’t. In fact, if you use your windscreen wipers to get ice off the windscreen, you could ruin them. Use a scraper to scrape the ice from the windscreen of your car before starting the vehicle.
  • Turn your headlights on early in the afternoon to help you see any possible sheen from black ice.
  • Check your tyre tread. Worn tread causes accidents in any conditions, and will ensure you lack traction when needed on black ice. In addition, consider having snow tyres fitted. Your tread depth should be at least 1.6mm but preferably be at least 3mm for winter driving
  • An important thing to remember is to NEVER drive in potentially icy conditions with your cruise control active.

 

iDrive in the Snow 001

Top 10 Tips for Driving in Winter

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TOP 10 TIPS FOR WINTER DRIVING
Taking a number of simple precautions can ensure safety on Irish roads during winter. Don’t get caught out if severe weather hits, make the necessary checks on your vehicle now.
There are a number of simple precautions the RSA advises for driving over the winter months:

1. Check your tyres…they are your only contact with the road. Tyres should be at least the minimum legal thread depth of 1.6mm but need to be changed before they get this worn. Tyres need to be to the correct tyre pressure to give the motorist the best chance in extreme conditions

2. Use your lights. As we come into the winter months, motorists are advised to use dipped head lights during the day so you are easily seen. Headlights and taillights should be in working order.

3. Understand your brakes. Check your car manual and find out if your vehicle has safety assist technology such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Anti Lock Braking System (ABS). Learn how these technologies can assist your driving in harsh weather conditions.
3. Safe Distance. It takes longer to stop a car during the winter weather so slow down and allow extra distance between you and the car in front.

4. Make sure you can clearly see. All too often motorists do not de-fog or de-ice windows and mirrors which can compromise visibility. This winter ensure windows and mirrors are clear, and carry a de-icer and screen scraper. Do not use boiling water as this can crack the windscreen.

6. Beware of “Black Ice”. Black Ice is one of winter’s biggest hazards as it is difficult to see. Watch out for sheltered/ shaded areas on roads, under trees and near high walls.

7. Be prepared. During these winter months it is advised that motorists carry a number of essentials in the boot of their car:

  • High visibility vest
  • Spare fuel
  • Appropriate footwear in case you need to leave your vehicle e.g. boots
  • A hazard warning triangle
  • Spare wheel
  • Tow Rope
  • A shovel
  • De-icing equipment (for glass and door locks)
  • Spare bulbs
  • First aid kit
  • A fire extinguisher
  • A working torch
  • A car blanket, additional clothing & some food and water

8. In the event of a breakdown. Drivers need to ensure their vehicle is well in off the road so as not to obstruct other vehicles. The driver should also put on their hazard warning lights. If the vehicle breaks down on the motorway pull in as far as you can, alerting traffic behind you with hazard lights. The driver should leave their vehicle, get behind the barrier (on the embankment) and call the Gardaí, on their mobile phone or roadside telephone.

9. Keep up to date. Listen to local weather and traffic reports. Pay heed to the weather warnings alerting drivers of unsafe and dangerous driving conditions.

10. Check out the RSA’s publication ‘Severe Weather Advice for Road Users’ for more detailed advice on what to do if severe weather strikes!

At iDrive Ireland we offer Winter Driving Lessons to all levels of driver including fully licenced drivers. We do this in our Dual Controlled 2013 Ford Fiesta.

If you want more information on driving during the winter months or in ice or snow or would like to learn how to do it safely, call Andy on 087 0663947 or Email us on [email protected]