Crash. That was my bad dream last night. It was this horrible dream where I crashed my car on this super skinny, winding, wet road. Nobody was hurt but there was this impossible man who was behind me and just kept yelling at me because I made him have to hit his brakes. It was so strange.
Not surprising though. Road accidents are probably one of the most talked about items on the radio over here - every fatal accident is reported on the radio (country wide). The death toll is counted starting with the New Year and is announced every time there's another accident 'A 53 year old man from Co. Cork died this morning in a crash on the N11, bringing this year's total to 254' or something like that. When you drive into a new county you have two signs. The first says ‘Welcome to County Wicklow’. The second says ’54 deaths on County Wicklow roads in 2006’. Every county has them on every road in and out. It’s a bit depressing and they really are trying to improve road safety but it doesn't seem to be very effective. A few of the major faults are pretty obvious. One is the licensing system over here. When you turn 17 you can sit your Theory Test to get your Provisional License. Kind of like a Permit at home. Except here everyone then drives around like they've got a full license with no experienced driver in the car. It's not legal. Well, not for your first Provisional License – but if you happen to fail your driving test… THEN it’s legal to drive around by yourself with your 2nd Provisional License. I don’t get it either.
Then there's the drinking and driving. You can lose your license for it here, but like I said - there aren't usually any police around to stop you for it. That, and if somebody dies in a drinking related accident in the U.S., it seems to be the first thing they tell you about it. Not here though. They announce the time of the accidents, so you know that more than half of the fatal accidents occur on weekends between midnight and 3am, but must just be bad luck or something because they never mention drinking. Don’t you think it MIGHT just deter people from drinking and driving if they thought all those deaths were because people were dumb enough to drink and drive in the first place?
I’ve got my Provisional License but can drive on my American License while I’m waiting the average 53 weeks it takes to get a slot to take your road test. It’s only about a 50% pass rate in most counties. So yes, the system needs a little work. In the meantime I suggest you just hang on tight and be sure to buckle up! ;-)
Then there's the drinking and driving. You can lose your license for it here, but like I said - there aren't usually any police around to stop you for it. That, and if somebody dies in a drinking related accident in the U.S., it seems to be the first thing they tell you about it. Not here though. They announce the time of the accidents, so you know that more than half of the fatal accidents occur on weekends between midnight and 3am, but must just be bad luck or something because they never mention drinking. Don’t you think it MIGHT just deter people from drinking and driving if they thought all those deaths were because people were dumb enough to drink and drive in the first place?
I’ve got my Provisional License but can drive on my American License while I’m waiting the average 53 weeks it takes to get a slot to take your road test. It’s only about a 50% pass rate in most counties. So yes, the system needs a little work. In the meantime I suggest you just hang on tight and be sure to buckle up! ;-)
2 comments:
Pretty interesting data!!!
Ok I know I just sent you an email but I have to say I love your blog! It seems like every blog entry I identify with it in some way. I too think about how terrifying it would be to drive in Ireland, and went through the "Get me to Wal-Mart... NOW!!!" phase when I moved to Dublin. :)
-April
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