While I'm very sorry for the families of the young lads in Monaghan who died at the weekend it's becoming clear that the whole road safety issue is being sensationalised by the media, used as an political hammer by the opposition and topped off with understandable, but useless, emotion from the families of people involved.

When you read the newspapers calling for 'draconian measures' to cut down on the number of the deaths on the road you know we've lost sight of the crux of the problem.

The problem is that people are stupid, impatient and stupid. Did I mention they were stupid?

How many times have you been overtaken by some guy going way over the speed limit who weaves in and out of traffic and then you come to the next set of traffic lights and there he is right beside you? What did his speeding get him? 2 seconds, if that? Stupid.

I was involved in a car crash once. Driving through a crossroads. I had a green light. Bloke coming the other way decides he can turn across before I get there. Smash. I was banjaxed but because I wasn't speeding I was alive. The other bloke? Nothing, not a scratch. Stupid cunt.

The boys in Monaghan at the weekend. I'll stand to be corrected on this but I can't imagine it was just an unfortunate turn of events that left two cars looking that this:



Those cars crashed head on. Somebody was being stupid. Without the stupidity those boys would be alive. Harsh, I know, but that's the reality of it.

Penalty points would not have stopped the crash. More education and a longer process to get your licence would not have stopped the crash. Telling young drivers they can only drive at 80km per hour would not have stopped the crash.

The only thing that would have stopped the crash is not being stupid and while some people will say that greater road education will cut that down I don't agree. I go back to the point I made yesterday about people doing things that they know are bad for them but they still do them. Young lads who drive badly and dangerously know that it's bad and it's dangerous but they still do it. No amount of theory classes or restrictions on their licences and cars will prevent a person from driving dangerously if that's the kind of person they are.

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen is under intense pressure the news reports and papers say this morning. What do people expect him to do? Do they expect him to instill common sense in young lads who have just got their licences? How can he stop someone from doing stupid when that person knows what they're doing is stupid but does it anyway?

It's not that people don't realise overtaking on blind corners and racing your mates and driving drunk or stoned is wrong. Everyone knows it. Everyone.

Everyone knows it's wrong to steal a car but still there'll be some group of young lads who will rob a car, go joyriding and plough into a family on their way home from a great day out. And it's because they're stupid or they don't care what happens. There really is nothing you can do to educate people like that.

I would suggest that 95% of all road accidents are caused through stupidity, whether that's dangerous driving, drunk driving, falling asleep at the wheel, going too fast when it's wet etc. Then there's 5% when a tyre blows out or something else happens. Those are the kinds of accidents you can prevent by improving mechanics or technology but at the end of the day you cannot stop stupid people being stupid. It's impossible.

I'm no fan or Martin Cullen but to put to him under that much pressure because of the flaws of human nature is just wrong.

Road safety is just the latest cause célèbre. Something else will come along in a few weeks or months at this will all be forgotten.

No matter what happens, no matter how much hand-wringing there is, no matter how often you try and change people's views people will still die on the roads. It's a fact of life. The sooner we accept that and get on with dealing with real issues the better.

Labels: roadsafetyblog, stupid drivers