Madam, – Sarah Carey’s piece on the joys of driving in Ireland was amusing insofar as it cast her in a worse light than those nostril-flared tailgaiters she railed against (Opinion, November 4th). Her somewhat self-righteous adherence to the speed limit is at least as dangerous as the behaviour of the terminally frustrated drivers in her rear view mirror.
May I suggest, to avoid further carnage on the road when she is presented with a rabid tailgaiter stuck to her bumper on a single carriageway, that she do the pragmatic thing and pull further into the left if safe to do so?
There is usually enough room to allow faster motorists go by and they will appreciate her doing so. This will help reduce the danger on the roads by keeping all the participants’ blood pressure within the normal range.
When she is on a dual carriageway or a motorway I would suggest that she (the rest of the country please copy) drive in the inside lane and use the outside lane for its only purpose, namely overtaking.
In my view, it is safer to leave the enforcement of national speed limits to the Garda Síochána. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – As a frequent visitor to Ireland, I read Sarah Carey’s article about drivers’ behaviour with interest. I have been driving for more than 50 years and I find the driving standards in Ireland are quite scary, especially at night.
There is an unpredictability about drivers’ actions which is unnerving and there is a lack of appreciation of how dangerous a motor vehicle can be unless you are concentrating 100 per cent. Other road users are not immune from this malaise. Most of us have been scared witless by cyclists without lights and pedestrians wearing dark clothing walking on the wrong side of the road.
I see so many people driving without seat-belts that I wonder if there are any prosecutions for such foolish and criminal acts. I noticed in your Weekend Review (October 31st) a picture of Jackie Healy Rae at the driving wheel without a seat belt. Not a good example, but maybe I do him an injustice, perhaps he was just posing while his picture was being taken? It would have been a better picture had he been wearing his belt. – Yours, etc,