Madam, – The recent cold snap has again shown up the incompetence of the local authorities in Dublin. I am currently stranded in a housing estate in Dublin less than three miles from the city centre because between them Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council cannot grit the roads outside my house. In the past week, the east coast of Scotland has experienced at least five times the snowfall of Dublin and temperatures much lower. Despite this, my parents have been able to travel on well-gritted roads to the shops. Sometimes I wonder exactly what we pay taxes for, presumably not some salt and sand or, God forbid, forward planning. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Having driven under some severe weather conditions in recent days, including freezing mist and fog and low-angle winter sunlight, I am more convinced than ever that the use of daytime running lights (DRLs) as proposed by the Road Safety Authority would have a positive effect on road safety.
I am appalled by the huge number of drivers who seem to be unaware that their vehicle is hard to see under adverse weather conditions. Add in the factors of frosted or steamed-up windows and drivers with less than 20/20 vision and it is clear that the majority of drivers in Ireland lack the judgment to decide when they need to improve their visibility to other road users.
It is time for the authorities to step in and require that all drivers use either dipped headlights or dedicated DRLs when driving in daylight. If this approach is to work, then there must be fixed on-the-spot fines and penalty points for driving without dipped headlights and for driving with only parking lights or fog lights. It is clear from other road safety initiatives that the majority of the driving public comply only when the threat of such penalties exists.
I have informed the RSA of my support for this proposal and I urge road users who value their lives and those of their loved ones to do the same. – Is mise,
Madam, – Regarding the lack of funding available to local authorities for gritting of roads, I would suggest the Government allocate to this purpose some of the monies it is collecting from the so-called “carbon taxes” while we await the global warming phenomenon to kick in. – Yours, etc,