Drivers believe behaviour on our roads is getting worse
A MAJORITY of motorists believe that driver behaviour in Ireland has worsened in recent years, according to new research.
In response to a survey of more than 4,000 Irish motorists undertaken by AA Car Insurance, 31% of respondents strongly agreed that motorist behaviour had worsened in the last few years, while a further 35% of those surveyed partially agreed that this was the case. Just 3% of respondents strongly disagreed with the claim that driver behaviour had worsened.
AA director of consumer affairs, Conor Faughnan, said that as the level of traffic on Irish roads increases so, too, does the rate of bad behaviour.
‘In recent years we have seen traffic levels return to Celtic Tiger levels and one unfortunate consequence of that does appear to have been that more motorists are experiencing incidents of bad behaviour on the part of other drivers.
‘In many ways, higher traffic volumes and increased road rage incidents tend to go hand in hand but there’s certainly no excuse for poor behaviour on our roads, not only is it inconsiderate but it can be dangerous and increase the risk of an incident.
‘In order to keep our roads safe it’s important that we remain patient, even when stuck in significant traffic jams, and respect the rights of all road users, from other motorists to vulnerable road users such as cyclists or pedestrians,’ he said.
The research which found that less than one in 12 drivers strongly agree that the Government is taking necessary action to improve road safety.
That’s despite the Government last week passing a long-awaited road traffic Bill that imposes stricter penalties on drink drivers, as well as penalising car owners who allow unaccompanied learner drivers to drive their vehicles.
More than a third of drivers stated they somewhat agreed that the Government was prioritising road safety. Mr Faughnan said: ‘We’ve made a lot of progress in tackling roads deaths and serious incidents in the last decade, but there is still a lot of work to be done.’