The quality of people’s driving in Ireland has plummeted since COVID-19 and it is putting people at risk, the Irish Road Haulage Association has claimed.
So far, 40 people have died on Irish roads this year - 10 fewer than during the same period in 2024.
However, there are still concerns about the safety of Irish roads and Irish Road Haulage Association President Ger Hyland said things are particularly bad in rural Ireland.
“Since the pandemic, the standard of driving here in Ireland seems to have gone to an all time low,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“For example, our members are finding on the country roads especially, tailgating, overtaking on dangerous bends, blind junctions, all of this is adding to their stress every day when they go out to work.”
One solution, Mr Hyland believes, would be for mandatory installation of black boxes in cars, which would allow for greater oversight of bad drivers.
“If you have black box in a car, your insurance company has sight on your driving,” he said.
“If they’re not driving properly or to a proper standard, they can withdraw their insurance.
“Once your insurance is withdrawn, it’s very, very hard to get insurance for any other company again.”
A freight lorry. Picture by: AFP via Getty Images)Mr Hyland also described drug driving as a “huge problem” which is now in “every small village in Ireland”.
He added that most people would be “absolutely stunned” by what he sees on his commute from Kildare to Dublin.
“The amount of people who are on their phones texting, watching videos, eating their breakfast off their lap,” he said.
“It’s frightening.”
Another potential solution is reform of the driving test, which he described as “not fit for purpose”.
“The amount of people in this country who don’t know how to use a roundabout is staggering,” he said.
Main image: Traffic at the West-Link Toll Bridge in Dublin. Picture by: RollingNews
