South Meath Driving School

The Road Safety Authority is urging motorcyclists, scooter and moped users to take greater care on the roads this summer. They are urged to wear the correct protective equipment at all times, even going to the local shop for the newspaper.

A stark statistic shows that motorcyclists represent 1 in 10 road deaths so far this year, despite making up less than 1 in 50 of the vehicle fleet on our roads. Up to July 14^th, 11 have died plus one pillion passenger. This toll bears worse news over the past week-end when two more motorcyclists died, at Cellbridge and Kilalla. These were two seasoned bikers in their late thirties and early forties. The figures show that bikers are three times more likely to be killed on Irish roads than their counterparts  in Europe.

In the event of a crash, a motorcyclist has little chance of survival. Warm weather may entice riders to leave off the heavy protective gear. T-Shirts and trousers are of little use when the big bang suddenly arrives. Doing a tumble off your motorbike at 50 k/ph, without protective gear, is similar to falling off a second story building into a cheese greater, the experts tell us.

I’m glad that there’s a much more stringent driving test for bikers now. At least it should make younger learners aware of the dangers, unlike too many of those who feel they have ‘graduated.’  The antics that some bikers get up to wouldn’t compare to those of the brilliant entertainer, Martin Griffin, who performed heroics at the Kells Festival recently. Martin is a highly trained performer/entertainer/ stuntman who has performed all over the world, makes a living out of it and survives. One difficult task that he undertakes is balancing the bike on the front wheel as he makes his rounds. Despite his prowess, backup and training, even he took a tumble at the Kells venue. But, he had the proper protective gear and it went almost unnoticed, so quickly was he back up on his machine without a scratch. The truth is that too many bikers get up to antics that are more suited to the Griffin man, like speeding and riding on the rear wheel while doing high speed. It’s a great thrill but it’s only a fleeting one, whereas the pain of a fatality is borne for life by those left behind.

Research shows that half of all crashes involving motorbikes are caused by other drivers. As a bike rider is much less visible than cars or lorries on the road, other drivers should be on the alert for them, check mirrors before making turns, especially to the right and at roundabouts.

Bikers should ensure to follow those basic rules – wear protective gear, helmet, gloves, body armour on the elbows, knees, shoulders and hips. On the outside, wear a high visibility vest and footwear that protects the ankles. Service the bike regularly. Bikers should keep in mind that each week twenty riders or pillion passengers are killed or injured on Irish roads. With the weight of such statement, let you not be one of those twenty next week. Change an attitude and save a life.

Many applicants for the Learner Permit are finding themselves very disappointed at being in the new regime of Essential Driver Training (EDT). Where a Theory Test was passed before that deadline of April 4^th, many were of the opinion, or incorrectly informed, that they then did not have to undergo EDT. That is incorrect and the watermark is the procurement of the Learner Permit before the 4^th of April this year. Therefore, the passing of the Theory prior to that date is immaterial.

Another misconception I’m hearing about is where an applicant applies for the Learner Permit and assumes that s/he can then practise driving on the public road. Let it be known that such person may be driving while uninsured, as a Permit or Licence must be held before insurance is valid. Many problems may arise with an application for a Permit, such as the file being incomplete, like photos, fee, identity, medical report etc. falling short. The process may take many weeks in such case, so, until the Learner Permit is in your hand, don’t drive. The day of submission of the file to the motortax office will not be the date of issue of the Permit and even where the Council forward a receipt for the fee and application, that does not equate to the Permit which is the legal document required to drive.