South Meath Driving School

Of late our concerns were the politicians and bankers undoing of young and old; then the change of the guard brought new household charges; now it’s the turn of the diesel and petrol prices at the pumps to create the most recent rage. How much more can the man and woman in the street take? Jesus, I do not know. The last Government are out long enough now for us to have almost forgotten them, though some say they will be remembered for what they did when Cromwell is long forgotten. Remember, too, that the FF outfit hit the litre of petrol three times adding 17 cent for our pleasure.

Petrol and diesel have now got a similar price tag, averaging around 155 cent per litre, though local garages see fit to exceed that price.

Petrol has increased by 7 cent in the last month. Of that 7c, 2.4c is attributable to the VAT increase of 2% on Jan 1^st. The Euro has weakened against the US dollar and there has been a wholesale increase due to some change in the way the wind is blowing in the Middle East.

The Finance Dept. obviously sought to increase their take through those increases, but during the past year consumption is down 7%. The motorist just cannot afford such purchases at penal prices, and once more the State calculated incorrectly, scoring a fine own goal.

Running a motor car is no luxury, no more than owning a lorry or any commercial vehicle. There is a loss of disposable income from those horrendous increases that will have an adverse affect on nearly every household.

You may not have known that there has been an increase in ‘Carbon Tax.’ Something tells me that other fuels like turf and coal are excluded from this tax. At least that will enable Ming Flanagan to continue his consumption of what he believes is good for him. Good for him!

Yes, the carbon tax has accounted for about 4 cent of this increase between the Budget and VAT increase. So Noonan and Kenny are our most recent Eco warriors to come on the scene. When a real ecology-conscious gentlemen, like JP Fay who lived up a tree for months, protesting at the M3 being constructed too close to the Hill of Tara, there was no sign of Noonan or any of his retinue.  Their interest is not quite the preservation of Carbon matter, rather it is just a mean, slithery way of collecting taxes. Ray Butler T.D., let your colleagues know what  the majority of decent people think of all this. Tell the local people who have to drive to Dublin, Dundalk or wherever, to work that the hike in petrol prices is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. Tell the shopkeeper, too, that it has resulted in there being less money available to purchase newspapers or the box of cornflakes.

Noonan’s scalpel didn’t finish there for the motorist. Car tax is to increase. The lower emission cars in Band A and B face the greater hikes of 56eur and 69eur respectively. The main reason for this is that 70% of new car sales in the last few years were in those bands. Practically all new cars are in the ultra low emission bracket and this is the ‘reward’ from our Government for all those who made the purchase recently. No wonder people have stopped blessing themselves when passing the church.

In a word, for those who pay their taxes religiously, just remember that when you buy that litre of petrol or diesel that our good State is taking about 60% of the overall price. It’s enough to make a sloath’s veins pump.

When a vehicle was involved in a collision, it used be termed a traffic accident. Of late that was modified to ‘a crash.’ The Road Traffic Act refers to it as ‘an occurrence.’ Call it what you may, no one wants to be involved in it. Incorrect! That’s not always the case, to which I will allude, post.

There are certain obligations on any driver who becomes involved in a crash. Primarily, stop the vehicle and keep it at the scene. Switch off the engine in case of fire. Give appropriate information to the other party if there is no Garda present. That amounts to name and address, Insurance Company details and car registration, make owner and driver. Otherwise report the occurrence at the nearest Garda Station within a reasonable length of time. Call the emergency services at 999 or 112, if necessary.

Items which every motorist should carry include advance warning sign (the reflective triangle,) high visibility jacket, a torch and first aid kit. Use hazard warning lights and take photographs of scene. Upgraded mobile phones have a camera facility. If you, the driver, do not know how to use it, ring some five year old child and they will instruct you.

Don’t imperil yourself at an accident scene, especially at night; warn oncoming traffic and get other motorists to assist. Any accident can be traumatic for driver or passenger and the less said in the immediate aftermath, the better. In a state of shock, say little and say it well.

What then if another driver deliberately collides with your vehicle? This can happen in many ways, the more common being where you – an innocent motorist – are driving behind a vehicle which suddenly, and without any apparent reason, brakes severely and gets ‘rear-ended’ by you. There will be a few willing passengers accompanying such driver, all of whom get hauled off to hospital by ambulance, collars carefully fixed around their necks. It isn’t medical treatment that’s foremost in their minds, but they must go through the motions until the time is ripe to visit a solicitor.

Then there’s the instance where you, an unsuspecting driver, have stopped your car along the road or kerb. As you sit there, a car overtakes you, pulls in, in front of you and slams back – in reverse – into your car. This driver then claims that you ran into their car and is accompanied by a few passengers who shout in agreement.

Such instances of fraudulent claims were very common in the 1980s. Only after repeated claims by select individuals and thorough investigations into their character and background, plus an adjustment in the legislation, whereby it became a criminal offence to pursue a false claim, did such claims become few in the modern era. A prime example was the claim brought by three youths against Supermacs restaurant in Galway for negligence when one of them slipped on the toilet floor because it was wet. The case was before the Circuit Court when the owner, Pat McDonagh, informed his own lawyer that he had video evidence of the youths spilling water from the wash basin in the toilet onto the floor and then one of them tumbles and gets carted off to hospital. The lawyer advised him to just withdraw the case and not mention the video evidence. The brave McDonagh refused to do this, and instead withdrew his lawyer’s services. The claimant was informed and he withdrew his claim. When the case was called, McDonagh gave evidence of the facts and he wondered, in a subsequent Late Late Show presentation with Pat Kenny who the biggest fraudster was. It highlighted the prime value of CCTV in such premises and left would- be fraudsters in a ‘planning’ dilemma for the future: ‘might Big Brother be watching my preparations?’

What then of the unfortunate motorist who falls victim to such a scammer? Ensure that the Gardai investigate and make it known immediately the fact that it is a set up. I’ve heard of such instance recently and that the Garda who visited the scene suggested that the matter be left to the insurance companies to sort out. I doubt if that is true in the light of the allegation by the victim. There is another recourse, such as the Garda Ombudsman or the local Superintendent should a victim encounter such a stance by the investigating Garda. It might be difficult to know who to believe, but a scratch of the surface should unearth more of the truth quickly.

In the unlikely instance of you becoming a victim to such circumstances, don’t move your vehicle, note details of the other persons vehicle and what they allege; take photographs, call the Gardai, phone a friend or, should you have learned to drive with your’s truly, here, give me a ring and I’d be only too willing to assist.

It just might be true, what they say – accidents don’t happen, they are made, sometimes.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is currently running a new public service anti-drug driving advertisement which includes a 60 second piece called ‘Cell’ that was acquired from Victoria, Australia and adapted to our scene. It depicts the tragic consequences of a drivers decision to take drugs and drive, after leaving a nightclub. A second ad. titled ‘Dead girl talking’ has been adapted from the U.K. and is due for airing anytime now. It shows a young woman describe how she and her friends were involved in a crash after taking drugs, with fatal consequences.

Those advertisements by the RSA endeavour to bring it home to the public that consuming drugs can be lethal and, while the emphasis has generally been on drink driving, it serves to remind us that drugs can be equally devastating.

It is against the law to drive while under the influence of drugs, whether they be prescribed or illegal substances and it can be as dangerous as driving with too much alcohol. Alcohol will normally clear the human system within 12 to 20 hours, whereas the effect of drugs may last for days and traces of cannabis can be found in the urine up to 30 days after smoking a single ‘reefer.’ Reaction to drug consumption may take many forms, like poor concentration, confusion, overconfidence, erratic behaviour, hallucinations, aggression or dizziness.

Who’s consuming those drugs, one might ask? You’d be amazed! It may be members of your own family or unsuspecting friends. The RSA commissioned research among 17 to 34 year olds on the use of such drugs by drivers. It revealed that 22% admitted to being a passenger in a car driven by someone under the influence of a drug. They also believed that being under the influence of a drug was not as serious as being under the influence of alcohol. The survey was conducted on 1,000 people into the use of recreational drugs while driving and 1 in 20 admitted having driven while under the influence. What are these ‘ recreational’ drugs? Their consumption may be described as the use of a psychoactive or mindaltering substance with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experiences. The use may be for medicinal purposes, performance enhancement or spiritual. Drugs not normally considered in this vein are tobacco and caffeine. This desire for ‘intoxication’ has been compared to the human desire to satisfy hunger, thirst or the need for shelter.

Illegal substances that are commonly consumed include Cannabis, Heroin, Cocaine and Ecstacy. The effects of Cannabis consumption is immediate, peaking after about 15 minutes. U.S. surveys show that a driver is three times more likely to have a crash following such consumption. Heroin gives a euphoric feeling and relief of pain, depressing reflexes resulting in poor coordination. Driving is seriously impaired. Cocaine exudes confidence, strength and intelligence – temporarily, of course. Judgement is impaired and the user becomes hyperactive. Ecstacy combines a hallucinogen with a stimulant, exaggerating all emotions. Balance and judgement of time and distance is affected. The pupils appear dilated.

The Gardai have power to arrest a driver under the influence of an intoxicant which includes alcohol and drugs or a combination of both. There are few arrests for drug-related driving: perhaps a reason may be that it is difficult to detect or assess. Unlike alcohol, there is no resultant smell of a users breath, there’s no roadside test to show a presence of a drug in the system so it’s down to clinical assessment at the initial stage. With 1 in 20 admitting to having driven while under the influence of drugs, maybe the Traffic Corps section will take a closer look at those ‘silent’ consumers and ask what they contribute to crash statistics. With mandatory alcohol breath testing after a crash, it’s fitting to have a similar power applied for drugtaking.

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.