HEATWAVE ROAD RAGE!
Safety chiefs warn drivers to keep cool in July red mist
ROAD safety chiefs are warning drivers to keep their cool – as they say road rage is more likely during heatwaves.
Hot weather and holiday traffic are being blamed for a rise in road-rage incidents during the summer months – with July shown to be the most lethal month on the country’s roads.
And with no end to the heatwave in sight, Noel Gibbons, Mayo County Council’s road safety officer, has urged motorists to drive with more care as it’s revealed you’re more likely to have a crash in the summer.
Evidence supports the relationship between soaring temperatures and drivers’ nerves fraying in the searing
heat, Mr Gibbons said. ‘In the summer we tend to be in a little bit more of a rush to get home from work. In vehicles especially, with no air-conditioning, people tend to have their windows down, so you’re exposed to more noise,’ he said.
‘Rather than using body language, people use what I call “autobody language” – tailgating, being aggressive, and that triggers the other driver to do it back, and that escalation of tension leads to these collisions.’
Statistically, July sees more fatal road accidents than any other time of year. In 2017, 17 people were killed in traffic incidents during July, while 21 people were killed the year before. Both figures compare to a national monthly average of 14 across the same period.
And more than 1,000 extra drink drivers were nabbed in the period between July 2016 the same time 12 months later.
Additionally, the period often brings both a spike in road users and roadworks, leading to unexpected slowdowns and detours contributing to a frustrating commuting experience.
The summer months are typically high-risk periods due to a number of factors. For example, there are many people travelling around Ireland, including tourists, who are in unfamiliar surroundings.
The schools are off and more children are therefore out playing on the roads.
There is also more agricultural vehicles, cyclists and motorcycles sharing the roads with other drivers. All of these factors, and more, increase the risk for all road users during the summer months.
Additionally, the period often brings both a spike in road users and roadworks, leading to unexpected slowdowns and detours which in turn contribute to a frustrating commuting experience.
The recent rising temperatures have even led to melting road surfaces, causing misery for commuters and wreaking havoc – with gritters out in force last week.
Conor Faughnan, of AA Ireland, said motorists need to act responsibly and keep their cool. He told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘It’s a time of year where beaches and parks are full, which is great, but it also leads to an increase in traffic so drivers have to be careful... then it’s a time where the opportunities for wrongdoing comes along thick and fast.
‘And while the overwhelming majority would never do that, and they behave very well, nevertheless you can meet drunken or even boisterous behaviour everywhere and up until very late at night because it’s bright so late and it stays warm all night long.
‘Because people are using the roads in different and unfamiliar ways, therefore they are more exposed to danger.’
Mr Faughan said drivers need to be aware that the roads are more dangerous at this time of year.
He said: ‘We all have to stay aware of that as the risks are a little bit greater at this time of year and in this type of weather.
‘Traffic is a very frustrating experience psychologically – there’s a sense of being trapped, and frustrations are magnified and people make choices that they never would usually.
‘Traffic does cause frustration so if you’re stuck in a motorway traffic jam and you’re trying to get to somewhere like Brittas Bay and traffic is frustrating and you have a car full of kids, that’s a stressful situation and stressful situations can make you lose concentration or do something rash.
‘If you’re driving a car at all, it’s a responsible thing to do – it requires concentration at all times’
Road safety campaigner Mary Clinton, who lost both a close friend and an uncle in horror crashes, agrees. ‘When people are in a holiday mood they’re inclined to be not so careful to how they’re driving – and the heat can often cause concentration to just go,’ she said. ‘When people are going somewhere they’re not familiar with, the roads or motorways or whatever, you need to take extra care, be observant and slow down.’
So far this year, 77 people have died on Ireland’s road – which is marginally higher than for the same time last year.
‘More boisterous behaviour at night’ ‘Be observant and slow down’