THE M505115
IRELAND’S busiest motorway has seen more than 5,100 traffic accidents since the start of last year.
Dublin’s M50 witnessed 243 incidents a month, figures by Transport Infrastructure Ireland confirmed.
There were 23 cases of drivers falling ill at the wheel, while in 25 instances, somebody called for help but there was nobody on the line.
Dead animals – which can lead to motorists making dangerously sudden swerves – were reported 16 times.
There were two incidents of drivers heading in the wrong direction on the M50 while three cases of serious antisocial behaviour were also recorded.
The most common incident was breakdown with more than 2,000 cars failing over a 21-month period on the motorway.
More than 1,000 collisions were also recorded while dangerous debris was found on 642 occasions.
TII spokesman Sean O’neill said: “Incidents can include anything from simple breakdowns, or debris on the motorway right up to major collisions involving multiple vehicles.
“More serious incidents generally require the involvement of many different agencies including gardai, Dublin Fire Brigade, the four local authorities, [ourselves] and the Motorway Traffic Control Centre.”
The figures revealed 49 drivers ran out of fuel while there were 47 cases of wild or pet animals crossing the lanes. There Lads playing a game of ‘chicken’ on M50 were also 272 recorded cases of a pedestrians or cyclists on the M50.
Other serious incidents included the 10 times when heavy winds put traffic in danger, 35 cases of vehicles on fire, 121 flat tyres or “blowouts” and 173 instances of cars being abandoned.
Less frequently reported but also listed in the database M50 surrounds Dublin were spillages, flooding, and drivers lost.
As part of plans to ease congestion, TII is planning to introduce “intelligent transport systems technologies” including variable speed limits as well as lane usage instructions by 2020. Mr O’neill said: “A regulated speed limit will reduce the need to brake suddenly in response to standstill traffic and reduce the number of ‘stops and starts’ that take place. “Additionally, by regulating speed you reduce the potential for accidents to occur as well as the severity.
“You can also manage lane usage before an incident, thus improving safety and recovery time operations. “Options for increasing capacity are not endless and eventually there comes a point when adding lanes and upgrading junctions is no longer feasible.”
incidents every month, Transport Infrastructure Ireland confirmed
drivers fell ill while at the wheel. There were 1,000 collisions recorded