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Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Torrential downpours set to make traffic collisions 'almost inevitable'

Motorists are being warned to be especially careful this bank holiday weekend.

A WARNING HAS been issued for motorists to take care this coming bank holiday weekend.

Conditions that are not seasonal to this time of year are being projected and this could potentially make driving conditions more hazardous.

Speaking about this, Arwen Foley, editor of AA Roadwatch, said, “We’re used to these kinds of downpours in autumn or winter but torrential downpours followed by overcast humid conditions can make driving quite dangerous”.

Fast-evaporating water leaves road surfaces particularly slippery and traffic collisions are almost inevitable.

Motorists are advised to reduce their speeds when driving on wet surfaces and to making sure the necessary maintenance has been carried out on their cars before taking to the roads.

Included in this is ensuring that visibility through the car’s windscreen is not hampered by streaks and ensuring that window wipers are changed once a year.

It is also important to ensure that tyre pressure and tread depth are properly monitored.

Potential traffic issues are expected around the country with a number of events taking place.

Castlepalooza will be happening in Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co Offaly; the Galway Races will be continuing until Sunday at the Ballybrit Racecourse; and the Senior Football Championship quarter finals between Kerry and Kildare and Dublin and Fermanagh will be taking place in Croke Park.

Traffic on the M7 is expected to be slow with those travelling up from Kerry and Kildare.

Read: Man rescued after being pulled from upside-down car in canal

Also: A full moon will be making the beaches of Ireland more dangerous this weekend

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27 Comments
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    Mute Daragh8008
    Favourite Daragh8008
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:08 AM

    Visibility is also hampered when your looking at your phone, while hammering it down the road. Please don’t do it.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:53 AM

    OMG! How else am I supposed to post FB duckie face selfies of me driving? Selfish.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:18 AM

    “How else am I supposed to post FB duckie face selfies of me driving?”

    True. Some people just don’t think.

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    Mute Stephen Duggan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:14 AM

    Only if drivers don’t slow down and adapt and react to the conditions. Too many out there think you can do the same speed in any conditions, that’s the problem, not the weather.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:01 AM

    TBH both times I lost control of a car I was doing about 5 miles an hour around a bend, now both times I think it was oil on the road, but once it could have been weather conditions. I couldn’t really have been going any slower. I’m driving 14 years and have a clean sheet in every regard and I understand where you’re coming from but its not always true, especially in the weather conditions described.

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    Mute niall mullins
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:18 PM

    But my licence said I should “tear along the dotted line”.

    40
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:26 AM

    Take care on this October bank holiday. What? It’s August? Ah FFS!!!

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    Mute Michele Tobin
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:51 AM

    Was drinking in Mayo years ago. There was a huge cloud burst, once I saw the MO regs pull into the side I knew it was time for me to do it too. Of course there was idiots still trying to carry on in zero visibility!

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    Mute Thomas Barry
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:07 AM

    I take it you mean driving there Michele!

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    Mute Michele Tobin
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:13 AM

    Ahhh ffs!!

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:42 AM

    The idiots now put on their fog lights in the rain !

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    Mute Alan White
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:31 AM

    David, a common misconception is that full-beams are fog lights. This is not true. Fog lights are small lights.

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:04 AM

    Correct Alan but it’s amazing how many people do not know that they are to be used in fog and heavy snowfall only. Nothing worse than an idiot coming over the brow of a hill with their fogs on in the rain !

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    Mute The Viking
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:27 PM

    Fog lights should be used in severe downpours. front fogs only. And if you are motorway driving dont pull into hard shoulder and stop as this can lead to major accidents. Slow down, keep a safe distance from veichles infront and exit at next junction and wait till rain dies down and you feel comfortable enough to resume your journey. Be safe everyone..

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:55 PM

    @The Viking. As I said, it’s amazing how many people do not have a knowledge of the Rules Of The Road. For a very good reason fog lights should never ever be used in the rain. Water reflects high intensity light. Dipped headlights only in heavy rain but when you see a fool with fogs on in rain or on a sunny day, keep well away from them, they are likely to be lacking in other driving skills !

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    Mute Kate Kelly
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    Jul 31st 2015, 7:30 AM

    In France speed limits are variable to allow for weather conditions, the higher 130kph limit drops to 90kph when roads are wet. Pity our government is too busy taking us for fools to consider introducing something similar.

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    Mute Sean ORegan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:33 AM

    is the Government responsible for your individual choices?

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 4:25 PM

    Correct Kate.. idiots would be less likely to drive at 130kmh if the speed limit was dropped to 90kmh due to bad weather conditions. Although the RSA or the Gardai don’t give two shits about inappropriate speeders but prefer to concentrate on those doing 5kmh over the limit

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    Mute Jeffrey McMahon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:20 PM

    Sean, the government isn’t even responsible for it’s own individual choices by all accounts.

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    Mute Malachi Shanks
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:57 AM

    Put your shagging lights on ! It doesn’t cost you anything and it’s so the rest of us can see you not the other way around . Don’t even bother with token parking lights either !!

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jul 31st 2015, 1:44 PM

    ….and have them on at ALL times.

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    Mute John Curry
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    Jul 31st 2015, 6:36 AM

    ah its a soft day.

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Jul 31st 2015, 9:43 AM

    Should read “People with their heads up their arses and not driving to suit the conditions set to make traffic collisions almost inevitable”

    p.s. – look twice for motorbikes please. :)

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Jul 31st 2015, 8:22 AM

    Summer you say??

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    Mute Dublin Living
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    Jul 31st 2015, 4:39 PM

    Would you MORONS turn on your F*CKING lights when it’s raining? And not your parking lights, yous actual HEADLIGHTS?!

    I am going to beat and strangle someone soon who is too thick to realise when they should have lights on. I would be in favour of the guards confiscating cars from such drivers, they are a menace.

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    Mute Brendan
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    Jul 31st 2015, 10:04 AM

    From what I see with people driving in downpours is drop it a gear and floor it! Oh and check facebook see who else is out driving in the rain coz that’s wayyyy more important than the other road users ffs

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    Mute Martin Brady
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    Jul 31st 2015, 12:24 PM

    Just testing.

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