South Meath Driving School

The idea that Henry Ford invented the first car is ‘bunk,’ one might say. The car was defined as a wheeled vehicle with its own engine and capable of transporting passengers: it was also called a horseless carriage. The automobile, as we know it, had many inventors, evolving over many years and in many countries. It’s believed that about 100,000 patents created the modern autos with claims and disputes as to who was first. The first theoretical plans for an automobile were drawn up by none other than Leonardo da Vinci ( in the late 1400s.) It took some time, though, to get those plans off the shelf as it was 1769 before the first self-propelled vehicle was engineered – a military tractor invented by Nicholas Cugnot, a Frenchman, and it was steam powered. In those formative years and even into the early 1900s, the automobiles were steam, gas and electric. It’s believed this poor man, Cugnot, was also involved in the first road crash – banging his wagon into a stone wall!

In the early 1800s, came the first electric cars, invented by a Scot, Robert Anderson. Those cars were powered by storage batteries which later allowed for the electric vehicles to flourish. And here we are 200 years later reinventing them! Towards the end of the 19th century, interest in the motorcar had increased greatly in the USA, New York getting its first fleet of taxis. A car was a luxurious item then and could cost up to 2,000$. The carriages were very ornate and large, suited, ideally, to a lady wearing sable.

The electric car had many advantages over its gas or steam competitor, being noiseless, didn’t vibrate and had no fuel smells. The gas version could take nearly an hour to start up on a cold morning while the steam had only a short range travel capacity. Roads were in their infancy generally, but growing towns and cities had a good standard which suited the electric car which also had a short range.

Among the earlier engineers were Daimler, Benz, Steinway and the Duryea brothers from the US who put the first internal combustion engined car on the road in 1893. By 1896, Henry Ford had built his first car, called a Quadracycle, which he sols for 200$. He introduced the Model T in 1908, the first with an enclosed engine and transmission. The car was simple to drive and easy to repair. Priced initially at c. 1,000$, with greater production that fell to 360$ and within ten years most Americans were driving one.

In 1914, Ford doubled wages to 5$ a day, drawing in the best mechanics in Detroit thus raising production and lowering costs. Ford introduced the first moving assembly lines and by 1918 he claimed half the US sales market. Over 15 million Model Ts were produced and Ford’s quip went ‘You can have any colour once it’s black!’ Black was all that was available, initially at least, because that paint dried faster. Ford introduced the 40 hour working week, a minimum wage and the three shift system. It took 14 hours to produce the first Model Ts, but, at full production, there was one produced every 14 seconds. Despite generous wages, labour difficulties were encountered when workers set about introducing a Union. Ford even contemplated closing down a whole plant until his wife intervenedand !

Adolf Hitler admired Ford, hung his picture on his wall and modelled his own new Volkswagen, the people’s car, on the Model T.

Henry Ford was son of a Corkman, William Ford, who emigrated to the US about the time of the Great Famine. Henry was born in Michigan in 1863, one of eight children. He worked on the family farm but disliked the work. He could dismantle a watch and put it back together while still in the classroom. He left school at 15 and walked the eight miles to Detroit to work in machine shops that were to be the foundation of young Fords engineering skills that led him to found Detroit Motor Company.

Apparently, it’s not true that Henry Ford said ‘History is bunk,’ rather, that he said ‘History is more or less bunk.’ He made the famous reply in an interview with a journalist from the Chicago Tribune in 1916 who was questioning Napoleon’s inability to invade England. Had Henry been born in ‘the real capital of Ireland,’ perhaps we’d be the biggest exporter of cars in Europe today, perhaps not. It does seem, however, that some of our better exports over hundreds of years, and continuing, was and is our gifted children.

The alien landed on Tara’s Hill and moved around quietly listening to the people, peeping at newspapers and listening to the wireless; he came to the conclusion that the biggest problem currently facing the nation is something to do with driving between certain alcohol limits.

No, not NAMA or the weather or confusion with playing extra time in a few football matches – he’d gravitate the musings of one Minister for Transport.

The figures 80, 50, 20 popped up repeatedly. The number 50 took a woeful bashing, it meant a reduction in consumption from about one pint to half a pint of beer to keep a driver within the new, more sane, limits. There are winners and losers in any argument of this nature. A publican’s son from South Kerry, who wears a black beret, sounded loudly that a couple of pints relaxes body and therefore the driving will be steadier. A Vintners Federation spokesman pointed out that 1,500 pubs and hotels closed in the past 4 years with the loss of a few thousand jobs: random breath testing was taking its toll. Doctors working at accident and emergency departments spoke of their experiences, especially at weekends, dealing with broken bones as a result of ‘accidents’ on our roads. The Minister’s long term plans to reduce consumption by a ‘half measure’ was not getting a Merry Xmas salutation when he presented his Road Traffic Bill last week. Though a semi-rural individual himself, Noel hadn’t fully reckoned with the revolt of the usually quiet rural T.D. They were having none of it; the fabric of rural society was being eroded glass by glass. It was all fine for town and city dwellers who could catch a bus or hail a taxi at will – there was no such facility from Malin to Bantry to Hackballscross. The rural T.D had also to think of the next election: he or she is closer to grass root politics than his urban counterpart . Noel’s hand was forced and a compromise was at hand. The new legislation will mean a driver with a reading of between 50 mg and 80 mg will accrue three penalty points, a fine of €200, but no driving ban. Learner drivers will be subject to a maximum of 20 mg – the smell of a drink!

Having listened attentively on this planet for several weeks it was time for the alien to depart. He was happy with the compromise on the 50 mg – 80 mg reading. But he’s very concerned about a silent trend that’s developing in this fair land: while the pubs decline, ironically there’s an increase in drink sales. So, there’s more drinking done at home, where measures are flaithiul , the fires are brighter but other social and health problems may be developing. Should the single farmer from the side of the mountain be denied his few pints in the pub, his reaction may invoke a greater strain on some other aspect of social services.
Hard to keep the public engine finely tuned down there, says he, flying towards the sun.

Joe has all the semblance of a contented man. He was like W.B’s

“… The freckled man who goes
To a grey place on a hill
In grey Connemara clothes..”

His mode of transport is a bicycle. The dynamo, bell, pump and mobile shopping basket fit in comfortably for him with the modern era of iPods ,e-mails and mobile phones. He may know a lot about those wonder ‘toys’ now enjoyed by some, even as old as 50, but, he won’t allow himself to succumb to the temptation of actually owning them.

Joe rides into town every day without having to display any discs that are compulsory for the car owner. He hasn’t to worry about which pole he chains his bike to as he ambles through the town to shop or visit the library. For him a single or double yellow line doesn’t matter a hoot. Safe from Cathal who can cast a cold eye on his parking methods but Joe’s two-wheeler gives him the ‘freedom’ of the town , ticketless – like a modern day plane flight. The unsociable machines that stand on every street corner inviting the shopper to put the first Euro in that slot doesn’t bother our Joe either, no, neither do traffic jams or even one way systems.
Joe listens attentively to the radio and puts on a wry smile when he hears the news of another tax on motorists, a carbon tax; for he knows that his bike emits no carbon dioxide, it won’t pollute the air that the towns-people breathe, it’s eco friendly.

But Joe has to breathe the air that’s emitted from the poisonous exhausts of some 15k or 20k vehicles that pass locally each day. Then he heard on the wireless that a car produces its own weight of CO2 for every 6,000 miles it travels and that transport is the 3rd biggest generator of Co2 emissions.
When white man was first encountered by American Indians, their greatest fear was well expressed when they exclaimed that he would pollute the pure air and the water.

A motorist produces an average of 140 grams of Co2 for every kilometre he travels. So what does that all matter when there’s a cure at hand – the carbon tax, up to 5 cent on a litre of petrol and diesel being mooted. That will be so much the better for all, because it will cut travel by 1/24!
Our Kyoto agreement stands at limiting greenhouse gases to 13% by 2012. So, the motorist will be playing his part, thanks to this reduction in travel. Rubbish. Not a scintilla of truth lies therein. For it is not, truly, a carbon tax, it’s just another form of taxation of the beleaguered motorist, who has been savaged by taxation from the initial purchase of the new car starting with VRT. If the proposed €500m – take in this carbon tax were to be spent in the area of designation, well and good: but will it. Fix potholes , purchase of more electric cars, a grant for the insulation of homes and more solar panels on the roofs, or for other house energy efficiency: lay on a bus service especially for the rural community. Wasn’t there an additional 8 cent put on a litre of petrol in the last budget . Did it matter to the motorist that there was no mention of it being a ‘carbon’ tax? No. Did anyone drive less miles as a result? No. Therefore, putting a further increase on the stuff will not be a move to making the air cleaner, rather a subtle way of a certain party attempting to make us believe they are making our world greener.

In the next year or two the American economy is expected to gain momentum, the dollar rising in value against the Euro and interest rates will rise. Our oil is purchased in petrodollars which suits us now because of the weighted value of the Euro. That keeps the price of oil artificially low here, but for how long? In a few years time, I predict that a litre of petrol will be about €1.50 plus. The State’s profit at present is 70% odd – how much more can a motorist suffer. Will the state reduce their take when the dollar increases substantially against the Euro?

Joe, keep smiling while you pedal home and don’t look around corners to search for big brother, for it is still legal for you to make or take a call on your new mobile phone with just one hand on the handlebar!

In the first six months of 2009, 127 people lost their lives on the Republics roads. That figure is 14 deaths less than the corresponding period for 2008. But nobody is celebrating that fact. It’s good news that the statistics are favourable from the point of view that our roads are getting safer by the year, yet, for the 127 families who are grieving, there isn’t much solace. Those deaths categorized were 63 drivers, 21 passengers, 20 pedestrians, 19 motorcyclists and 4 cyclists. Male deaths accounted for 80% of the total and, again, one third of those were aged between 17 and 25. The highest risk time was Saturday night between 8pm and 8am.

The setting up of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in 2006 has proved an outstanding success and our local minister, Noel, can take the kudos for his Departments delivery on that most important agenda. In previous years there was a high profile Garda crackdown at Public Holiday weekends and Christmas time. Here, the first of the three ‘Es’ was introduced – Education. The introduction of the road safety strategy made people aware of their responsibilities and a change in attitude and behaviour was wrought. Schools and the media were targeted and the RSA maintains a high profile in those areas. The driving test system was changed greatly with a much higher standard of training and testing.

Next, Engineering is the key: motorways and dual carriageways are by far the safest routes to take. Vastly fewer fatal crashes occur on those in comparison to winding country roads. The elimination of ‘black spots’, the introduction of traffic calming measures, road markings, warning signs and improved public lighting has played a large part in reducing death and injury.

Whatever about education and engineering, the third E, namely enforcement is vital where us humans are concerned. This was best demonstrated when the penalty points system was introduced in 2002. In the 12 month period following, road deaths fell by 19% while serious injury fell by 21%. Therefore, drivers took seriously the message that was pouring out through the media that a licence might be lost should the penalty points accumulate. Then something else happened: it soon became apparent that the enforcement levels weren’t there to the degree that was first envisioned, too many reverted somewhat to their old habits. This cements the idea that stricter enforcement pays off. As we have seen, it was revealed that more than half the speed cameras erected around the country had no recording data and so some carelessness was afforded, as it were. An area of enforcement that has returned large dividends was the introduction of mandatory alcohol testing. That really put the frighteners on the tippler who had driven to his local for the previous 50 years and always got home safely according to his word.

The effectiveness of the RSA must be maintained but they have taken a heavy knock with the withdrawal of their 3 million euro advertising budget much to the chagrin of one Gabriel Byrne who insists on trundelling on despite such setback. If you were at the Scurlogstown Fair in Porchyfields of late you may have paid a visit to the RSA trailer- stand there. It was a homely, userfriendly system of introducing to younger folk the world of driving on a public road. There were information leaflets available, simulators and plenty of interactive gadets to get the message of road safety across. So, pulling up on the budget of the RSA is most unwise when one counts the cost of a road crash at 3m euro a time to the State. Then count the human and emotional cost.

With all strands of the road safety strategy at work, the aim of reducing the annual road death toll below 250 by 2012 should bear fruit. Take care!

You may have seen my piece on the proposed graduated driving licence (GDL) where, for the younger drivers, supervision will be a must, zero alcohol levels, one passenger only, night curfew, two driving tests, accelerated penalty points etc etc. Does all that go far enough?
The greatest criticism I find with the current system here and even that of the GDL is that a 17 year old can acquire a Learner Permit and drive on the public road. ‘L’ Plate or no ‘L’ plate, being accompanied or not, such driver makes all the big decisions when the emergency arises ( or is created) The accompanying person has no physical control of speed, position on road, slowing or stopping. The horrific crash in the USA recently in which the Irish father and mother were killed in a single vehicle collision is a case in point: press reports state their teenage daughter was driving. Only in a dual controlled vehicle has the supervisor control: yes, verbal guidance can be given by the parent and he sees to it that his teenage son is sober, drug free and he’s not plugged in to an MP3 Player; but when his three friends become his ‘supervision’ the scene changes dramatically – spoiler fitted, turbocharged engine, alloy wheels and the Ford 150 SVT Lighting, is ready to create new records. In some European countries, a driver must pass a driving test before going on the public road (except with a driving instructor.)
While compulsory driving lessons are mooted here, at present it’s irrelevant. A Road Safety Authority official stated to me recently that the standard of driving in the actual test has deteriorated because drivers are, apparently, taking fewer driving lessons and hoping to pass, instead of undergoing a proper course. Some money saved, definitely maybe or might it be throwing good money after bad? The standard of the test in Ireland is very high, its foolhardy to take the shortcut. Expensive it is, but what price a life?
A candidate who fails the test can drive home and drive on until the next test. There’s no input or report from the test centre as to the dangers of such person continuing to drive ; Gaybo is very silent on the aspect particularly.

Where an instructor spends 5, 10 or maybe more hours with a learner, s/he is in an excellent position to give an assessment of that student. In a driving test situation, the better performance isn’t always forthcoming, therefore, in many instances it wont be a true reflection of the quality of that driver. A tester observes them for a half hour. Why not then adopt a new report form detailing the strengths and weaknesses of a learner as seen by the instructor and presented to the test supervisor or the RSA.
Also, the instructor should accompany the candidate during the test.

At present a driving test involves a daytime drive through a town, maybe the outskirts of the town and partly through a housing estate. If traffic is heavy, it’s like winning a slow bicycle race.

Where does the test address the following situations?

I am not looking to make a driving test more difficult for anyone, rather to improve efficiency, alertness to danger, greater ability to deal with emergencies, ultimately preventing crashes and saving lives. So, I don’t see the test (Class B) matching the challenge that our roads present. Every change costs a little more but no change can be more costly.