South Meath Driving School

Drivers on Irish roads deserve the fullest of praise for bringing our country into the safer category in Europe and even surpassing the German record. As of the 12.12.’12, there were 153 fatalities on our roads which is 22 less than last year. This figure is to be noted particularly because at the half year mark we were one over on the same period, Jan to end Jun, ’11. There’s no cause for celebration, though, as each death brings misery to a family on top of the multitude of injuries inflicted.

The current Christmas enforcement campaign is well underway focusing on drink driving, speeding, non-use of seatbelts and the use of mobile phones; with a little more consideration each one of us can send out the message that Christmas and the New Year will be a happy time and free of the horrendous reality that every fatal crash brings. Meath has had a very bad year so far with around a dozen fatalities, therefore an extra effort must be made to turn that around.

In the year Oct ’11 to Oct ’12, an analysis of drink driving limits was carried out by the Gardai and 9,771 incidents of drink driving were recorded. Some interesting facts were uncovered.

The only age category that increased is that of females between 58 – 67. A significant number of incidents involved male drivers aged between 23 – 32, driving late at night and early morning, particularly at weekends with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) higher than 100mg.

Offenders aged 38 – 47 had the highest proportion of more than 150 mg of BAC, with nearly half of those detected having a BAC in excess of this level.

A new feature of the lower limits is the increase in the number of people detected driving the ‘morning after,’ especially on Sundays around 11 am. I’m aware of a few instances of people getting a taxi home on the week-end night after partaking of their pleasure. Next morning they got a taxi back into town to collect the car and were arrested on the way home – 11am or 12m.d. area. Keep in mind the medical advice is that it takes an hour for each glass (half pint) of beer to dilute in your system no matter what the physical makeup. Some argue that a good meal or a larger proportioned body compensates. Statistics disagree, it appears and the doctor agrees.

‘Specified Drivers’ is a recently created category and those in that bracket should be very much aware where extra restrictions apply to them. They include the following –

*A holder of a learner permit.

*A holder of a first driving licence, two years after issue. This is now the case in Class ‘B’ (cars, vans and other categories) after passing the test, when the ‘N’ plate will be displayed from next year.

*A holder of a SPSV licence whilst driving in the course of business.

*Person not holding a licence for the category of vehicle being driven.

*If a driver is not carrying his/her licence, such person is breath tested at the lower limit (20mg)

In drink driving analysis ’08 to ‘12, recidivist (repeat offender) drink drivers exceeded 10%. There were 5 offenders with 10 or more offences; one driver had 26 driving offences.

Of those drink driving offences committed, 86% were male and 14% female offenders. After Irish offenders, it was Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian who were next listed.

All holders of a learner permit are reminded that under the new Road Traffic Bill, there will be 2 penalty points for not being accompanied by a qualified driver and 2 more for non display of the ‘L’ plate. Points are doubled on opting for a Court hearing, should a conviction follow.

Drive with greater care over the Festive Season. Parents, know where your teenagers are. Don’t leave your car keys available for the puca puca man. Check the battery of your fire alarms; put on your house alarm once you leave the house or retire for the night.

Eyeing up a used car that is trustworthy is as difficult as selecting the right heifer at a mart or the better filly at Tattersalls. There’s the great fear of purchasing someone else’s problem. While the adage ‘Caveat emptor’ may have been overtaken by legislation that favours the buyer, the buyer still must beware.

Many moons ago a farmer bought a cow at a fair in Mohill and after he had handed over his cash he figured that the cow was blind in one eye. Believing that the problem was all his, he asked the seller if the cow was a quiet one or would she kick the bucket when being milked. The seller assured him she was as quiet as a lamb. To prove it, the purchaser asked him to hand him the money he had paid him underneath the cows elder (or udder.) Not suspecting anything, he handed back the money bragging about how tame this cow was. “That’s fine,” said the buyer, ‘’now you keep your blind cow and I’ll keep my money!” Such encounters were par for the course then and there were big demands on the shrewdness of an individual.

The AA advises not to buy a car at a ‘side of the road’ sale, rather to go to a recognised dealer. Should one buy privately, bring a mechanic along to inspect the car. Mechanics know where to look and what to seek out. Should a seller object to such scrutiny, then it’s time to move on.

Ask the seller if the car has been involved in a crash of any kind. If in doubt, demand a response in writing. Check the car in daylight. As a car purchase may be the biggest or second biggest financial investment many people will make in their lives, it is important to get it right. For every new car purchased in Ireland, there’s 2.5 second-hands sold. For ultimate reassurance, a buyer may have the AA do an autocheck which is a scheme in which dealers undertake to perform a detailed inspection where the second-hand car is examined thoroughly under multiple headings. The AA monitors those dealers with regular spot checks to ensure standards are maintained.

Suggested tips for your inspection –

• Check the body lines for consistency
• Check for evidence of repainting, such as overspray on window rubbers or any inconsistency in the paintwork
• Check for uneven tyre wear
• Watch for different makes of headlights
• Look for inconsistencies in stone chips at the front of the bonnet as against the wings
• Examine the wear of the pedal rubbers, the gear stick and the steering wheel
• Closely check the odometer for any interference with the mileage
• Ensure the keys provided operate in all the locks and that there’s a spare set
• Try all the keys provided in the ignition and start the engine as sometimes a cut key is not a ‘transponder’ key or micro-chipped to work in the ignition.

Check that there is no Hire Purchase owed on the vehicle. This can be done with the Hire Purchase Information Centre at 01-2600905. They will check that no HP or leasing finance is outstanding on the vehicle. Such check will cost you 15 euro. There are also websites that can give you a report on the history of the car, number of owners, mileage, if it was written off, used as a taxi and outstanding finance. Prices vary depending on how much information you want and how old the car is.

Young people need plenty of advice from parents before engaging in this worldly task. It’s an exciting and wonderous purchase that can bring great joy – or tragedy. Ensure the choice is right.