Driving and safety statistics Ireland

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Irish driving license with vehicle categories.

Irish Driving License.

Every year many learners in Ireland do their driving test, most of those tested are in search of their first driving license, the rest are made up of recent immigrants to Ireland and people who have been ordered by the courts to re-sit the test due to a drink driving conviction. The pass rates for car tests is 50.7 %. Meaning one in two people will fail their test. See www.rsa.ie for more details.

Some statistics from Irish roads.

279,877 Irish drivers are on learner permits.
212 people died on Irish roads in 2010, down from 238 in 2009.
The 212 who died consisted of 44 pedestrians, 5 cyclists, 91 drivers, 55 passengers and 17 bikers.
38% of deaths were aged under 25
Sunday was the most dangerous day of the week with 54 deaths
43% of road deaths happened at the weekend.
The hours between 18:00 and 20:00 were the most dangerous, with 27 deaths (13%)
The average monthly fatality rate was 18 in 2010 compared to 20 in 2009 and 23 in 2008
The safest month of the year was December when 10 deaths occurred.
This is also the safest month on record.
Safest county – Longford (2 road deaths)
Most dangerous county – Dublin (21 Road deaths)
It’s not all about population density though, there were 19 road deaths in Donegal in 2010.

Some statistics from European roads..

35,000 people die on Europe’s roads year (nearly 100 per day)
Denmark is the country where you’re least likely to be killed.
Slovenia, closely followed by Greece is where you’re most likely to be killed.

Driving instruction in Ireland.

Until the 30th April 2009 anyone could give driving lessons or a driving courses to learner drivers without the need to demonstrate any previous training or driving aptitude which meant there was a very inconsistent level of training and consequently some very erratic driving on Irish roads which is reflected on our annual road casualties figures – http://tiny.cc/birg5 . Since that date driving instructors and people offering driving lessons or driving courses must have first qualified as Authorised Driving Instructors (ADI’s) through the Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA). Once qualified the driving instructors join a national register of authorised driving instructors and are permitted to teach the art of driving as part of an established school or independently. These driving instructors are examined by the RSA regularly to ensure the highest driving standards are being maintained.

The new register of driving instructors is designed to ensure that all new learner drivers are receiving a very high quality of driving instruction. Under the old system there was a tendency to instruct drivers with the information required to pass the test, the new guidelines and development of the register of authorised driving instructors are an attempt to arm learner drivers with the skill and techniques required to drive safely and considerately for life thereby making roads safer, not only for fellow drivers but for all users of the Irish road network which includes vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and motorbike riders.

On April 4th 2011 the RSA introduced legislation that requires any candidate doing their driving test to have undergone a minimum of 12 hours instruction with an authorised driving instructor in an attempt to ensure that the essential skills have been passed on to the candidate in a formal setting with an appropriately trained instructor. This is in line with legislation in other EU member states although not yet introduced in the UK. In France for example the minimum is 20 hours.

Our goal at driving courses Ireland is to train our pupils to the highest level of safe, defensive driving. We do this by offering one to one training focusing on the needs of the individual. Working together we can identify weak areas and build on strengths to bring the pupil up to and beyond the level required for the Irish driving test. Our goal is to produce confident, conscientious drivers who will take the skills they have developed with them throughout their driving lives and keep themselves and other road users safe.

Observation and the Irish Driving Test

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Top ten reasons for failing the Irish Driving Test

 

1. Observation.

The number one reason candidates fail the Irish driving test is observation. The driving tester has a marking sheet that he/she places a mark against every time he sees an error being made. The observation category is split into seven sub categories.

Observation part of the driving test marking sheet.

 

The green marks indicate minor faults/not serious.. you can get as many green marks as you want – they have no effect on the test outcome and aren’t counted.

The blue marks are more serious. They indicate potential risk/danger such as breaking speed limit, stopping too close to the car in front etc. You are allowed a maximum of 8 blue marks. 9 and you fail.

The red marks are instant fails. Things like breaking a red light, driving up on the footpath, not giving way to pedestrians etc. One red mark and you fail instantly.

Moving off – the candidate should check in all the mirrors before beginning to move off but also and most importantly the blind spot, this should be done just before moving the car. To check the blind spot you MUST look through the window over your right shoulder. The blind spot is the area that you cannot see using your mirrors or looking straight ahead.

Overtaking – includes passing a parked vehicle or any hazard on the road. It also includes cyclists. The candidate should check all the mirrors before beginning the maneuver and only then begin to overtake. When the overtaking maneuver is finished it is very important to check in the inside mirror that the obstacle/car/bicycle is successfully cleared.

Changing lane – to change lane to a right hand lane you must check all mirrors but especially the rear view mirror and right wing mirror before moving off the straight. A glance over your right shoulder to check the blind spot is also important.

At Cross Junction – look in all directions, slowing if necessary. Even if the junction is traffic light controlled. Remember a green light doesn’t mean steam ahead it means proceed with caution.

At Roundabouts – A roundabout should be treated like a cross junction in many ways but remember to get your positioning right. If well positioned, observation should be straightforward, if you’ve put yourself in the wrong position you’ll have more work to do with your observations.

Turning Right– One of the common reasons candidates get marked down here is forgetting to look into the junction they’re turning into. This is important to see if there are any hazards to deal with. Of course you must observe all around you including your right wing mirror for any crazies who might try to pass you as you turn right. You’re looking for cyclists too.

Turning Left – You’ll be looking to the right here, into the road you’re turning into and remember to be vigilant even if there are traffic lights. Very important to have a look at the left wing mirror to check for reckless or bad cyclists creeping up on your inside on the corner. They might annoy you but they’re vulnerable and should be given space.

If you do make a mess of observations and impede or restrict another road user because you didn’t see them or went for a gap that wasn’t there you’ll probably get a mark on the Observation part of the marking sheet and another in the Right Of Way section and it may be in the red section.

You may also get a mark in the Observation section if your windows are dirty, steamed up or blocked in some way so you should know how to clear the windows properly especially if they become steamed up which is common in rainy Ireland. That means knowing how to use the air heating and blowing system.

For more information have a look at some videos on youtube – make sure to search under driving safety www.youtube.com