South Meath Driving School

Driver, how observant are you? How many of the plethora of road signs that peer out at us as we make our way, hurriedly, do we note and react to, responsibly? Case in point: a lady was driving to work in her car when she struck the drivers door of another car as it passed through a rural crossroads in front of her, killing that driver. The said lady was hardly injured. She had failed to stop at the STOP sign: she hadn’t even seen the sign, though it was there in red and white. Worse still, she realised that for the previous twenty years she had been driving through that same crossroads twice each day without stopping; and she was a professional lady, alert, smart and responsible otherwise.
There’s a vast number of signs staring at us as we drive along, so many that we saunter on without taking much notice or, worse, no notice of them at all. What signs, then, have we to contend with?
Official signs are divided into three categories, namely, Regulatory, Warning, and Informative. Regulatory are those upright signs which mostly have a white background with red border, like the Yield sign. Others have a blue background with white symbols like those showing the tram and bus lane. There’s signs for parking, speedlimits, pedestrians, taxis, buses, even lowflying aircraft, animals etc There’s another similar lot of orange coloured ones for roadworks. Road markings, being on the flat, are more difficult to observe, like the stop lines, arrows indicating traffic flow, box junctions continuous white lines etc., all having legal status and must be obeyed. ‘Hatched’ areas, ( nothing to do with hens laying out,) are diagonal lines at merging roads, approach to crossroads etc and one must not enter there. Information signs guide us to a particular destination or show what services are available. The colour of these signs vary with the type of road.
Motorway signs have a blue background with white lettering, speed limit being 120km.
Primary (aka as National) roads have green background with white letters, speed limit 100km.
Regional roads have white background with black lettering and speed limit is 80km.
And what of the unofficial signs that emblazon the byeways? Over the last few weeks we’ve seen them on every P and T pole, gate post, Alder tree and Church gate – ELECTION POSTERS. Organisers attempt to outsize the other candidate with larger than large photographs of their candidate, sometimes three of the same on one pole: impressionist artists, they are. And they’re like the Madonna in the way they might look at you, after that they’re not like the Madonna. Sometimes, though, they add colour to a rainy day. How legal is it to hang up those posters?
Under the Litter Pollution Act, election posters can be put up on or after the Polling Day Order or for a period not exceeding 30 days, whichever is the less and they must be removed within 7 days of election day. They can’t be placed where they might be a hazard to traffic. A driver may feel entertained or distracted by those signs plus the many others like ‘Eggs for Sale, Car for Sale, Hot Dung for Sale etc.’
The Father of the Dail, himself, Oliver J Flanagan, former TD and Minister, didn’t pollute the countryside with election posters, rather he used his bicycle to canvass using just two posters, one on the front of the bike that said ‘Here comes Oliver J’ and on the back ‘There goes Flanagan.’ He served in the Dail for nearly 50 years. He was a conservative sort of fellow who would be a great assistant to McQuaid and DeValera in compiling The Public Dancehalls Act or Liquor Licensing Acts relating to Holy Hours and Good Fridays, especially; wasn’t it he who said there was no sex in Ireland till Gay got up his Late Late Show?
If you haven’t been heeding those road signs, do take a closer look, their presence and significance may surprise you: they may keep a plaster of Paris at bay or prolong a good life.
If road signs and election posters were grouped, wouldn’t they be together in the ‘Warning Sign’ category rather than the ‘Informative’ or ‘Regulatory?!’
‘Reflect on your present blessings of which every man has many, not on past misfortunes, of which all men have some.’ Charles Dickens.

Anyone can get into a skid, but, how many can cope? There is a way out, so, should it happen to you, don’t close your eyes and wait for the bang!
According to Met Eireann, the average number of days in the year when snow is lying on the ground is 5. (This winter may up that statistic!) Probably, the better way to deal with icy or snowy roads is to stay off them: don’t make the journey unless its urgent.

The vehicle and road may contribute to skidding, but the main contributor is the driver. There are three types of skid which are caused by the following –
1. Excessive speed for the existing road conditions or traffic situation.
2. Excessive acceleration, braking or cornering sharply.
3. A combination of both of the above.

So, a skid occurs when you change speed or direction so suddenly that the tyres cannot keep their grip on the road. There’s increased risk of skidding as the driver slows down, speeds up, turns a corner or drives uphill or downhill.

A rear wheel skid occurs when the rear wheels lose their grip which can be caused by any of the aforementioned factors. This type of skid is easily recognised because the rear of the car slides away from the centre of the road or corner. If not corrected, the vehicle may turn around completely on the road. To correct this problem, release the accelerator and footbrake, turn the steering wheel in the same direction as the skid. Unless your vehicle has anti-lock braking system (ABS), the brakes should be reapplied immediately after release and continue that process until control is regained. Care should be taken not to oversteer, particularly in the case of radial tyres as this could cause the vehicle to spin in the opposite direction. ABS brakes will allow you to steer on slippery surfaces because it applies and releases the brakes to maximum effect without locking the wheels; therefore, with ABS, the foot may be kept firmly on the brake pedal in a skid situation.

The front wheel skid occurs when the front wheels lose their grip, leaving the driver with no directional control. It occurs as a result of turning sharply into a bend at excessive speed or under hard acceleration or braking. The vehicle simply cannot go in the direction in which it is being steered. Should time permit, the skid may be corrected by momentarily straightening the front wheels and/or reducing pressure on the accelerator or brake.

The four wheel skid occurs when all four wheels lose their grip. It similarly occurs as a result of excessive speed or braking. The vehicle may be similarly taken out of that skid by releasing the brake temporarily, reapplying again, unless you have ABS and turning the steering in the direction of the skid.

Progressive braking in good time can prevent all those situations arising. Be alert, read the danger signs and road markings; judge distance; observe the traffic volume but of all, respond to road and weather conditions. Stopping distance in ice or snow may be increased 10 fold. Gradual acceleration and staying in a higher gear than usual is required; slightly deflated tyres helps to reduce skidding. Don’t mix cross-ply and radial tyres on the same axle, but, if you do mix them, fit the cross-ply to the front and radials to the rear. Beware of black ice, you cant see it: its ‘noiseless.’ Be attentive to fallen leaves, shady areas, exposed bridges – they thrive on little frost. Ironically, frost and snow slows us all up and helps prevent accidents. We should do likewise in the sun!

The black cube that is the traditional voting box is again fully restored to its former glory after a scare from its electronic prototype. Our diligent registrars will be busy sorting and counting results in a next few weeks time. The boxes come back at great cost after some brainiacs practically discarded them in the belief that they’d had their day, but, unsightly and all as they are, they’re probably back for the long haul. Do spare a thought for the canvassers, some of whom can be heard humming ‘And that old triangle went jingle jangle …’ All politics being local, I have a small problem for one of them to fix, before I cast any dye. Its about a yellow box.

The yellow scrawls that are to be seen at many junctions and crossroads are not to be taken for granted. Those are yellowbox junctions, simply painted yellow for easier visibility with their criss-cross lines. They allow traffic to egress from a minor road in busy conditions. That box of paint is a substitute for a traffic light or even a pointsman. Quite a simple idea it was and the box carries a lot of weight. Too many drivers ignore their proper use, but, in another while there will be penalty points secured for breaching the rules, so be warned.

The main rule applying is that you must not enter the box junction unless you can clear it without stopping. The exception to this rule is that you may enter the box and stop in it, intending to turn right and are prevented from doing so by oncoming traffic. Theres little mention anywhere on those subjects of the situation where you wish to turn left in the yellow box.

A good example is at Watergate St., Navan: you are exiting from Abbey Road and must turn left into a two lane carriageway. It’s one way and traffic is piled up, but the box is empty. There, you enter the box and occupy it at an angle, maybe, facing into either lane, space being at a premium. Similarly, when exiting from Patrick St., Trim, onto the bypass to turn left: if traffic is built up the box should be clear so use the opportunity to enter it to turn left.

Have you attempted to exit onto the bypass from Newtown Rd (Marcies Rd) at Whitelodge around 3.30pm to 6.30pm. The whole junction is wide enough to accommodate a ceili band and a crowd at a crossroads dance, but what have we got?
Two narrow lanes, one to enter, one to exit, flanked on either side by large grass margins and footpaths. Traffic on the bypass going towards Athboy is lined from the lights back down towards the Boyne. So anyone wishing to turn right off the Newtown Rd is stranded and moves at the will of those on the main road. If that isn’t bad enough, what of the driver wishing to turn left there? He’s blocked by those turning right, there being only one lane to exit. How can it be improved? Add an extra lane for those turning left and paint a yellow box on the town side of the bypass. It wont cure but the logjam but it would be a vast improvement. It is irritating for locals, especially, to be constantly delayed for long periods at this junction. The space is already there, let it be used.

So when the canvasser calls to your door, keep the problem local: forget about NAMA and the lack some parties symbols on the posters, introduce ‘Up the Junction’ at awhitelodge. At least we can live on a promise in times like these.

Mick Morris is probably better known in the Bective/Navan area than most sitting councillors and, indeed, many a man or woman with problems more wide ranging than that political, have gone to him for advice and in most cases resolution. He gave so much to football that for any one game he lined the field, put up nets, manned the gate and then refereed the match itself. Everyone knows the colour of his leanings but we’ll stay silent on it here. In any case, Mr Morris was going to a funeral in Navan accompanied by Jim Fitzsimons who then represented us in Europe. On entering the church, they moved to the book of condolences: the politician signed it Jim Fitzsimons MEP, the all-rounder Mick signed it Mick Morris OAP.

Cliff Richard’s song ‘We’re all going on a Summer Holiday, no more worries for me and you, …’ became a regular advertisement piece for promoters of the subject over the past forty years. That coincided with the good ould days when the mobile home in Bettystown or a caravan park in Bundoran were among the better holiday destinations: the children who had had the pleasure of such breaks gleefully recounted in their school compositions the following September, the wonderful time they’d had. The journey there and back in the Hillman Minx or Morris Oxford was, in itself, as joyous as the holiday. What a difference a generation or two makes: the recent past has seen us jet off to hot spots south of the equator or a holiday involving a car journey (gabh mo leithsceil, should I not say a peoplecarrier journey) to the Lake District or Marseilles, staying in a state of the art camp site with Water World a side show for the kiddies!
Well, just in case we have to get back to the car journey again, be prepared! Apart from a full service, there are many checks and corrections which any competent driver can carry out without the assistance of a mechanic or a garage forecourt calling.
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With the times that are in it, any good news is a bonus especially for the driving world where few if any bargains fell our way down the years. On our doorstep is a very exciting concept – the electric car. So, instead of filling up with Russian or Arab petrol, we’ll just
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