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Driving over Christmas? Here's what you need to know...

This year’s Christmas weather is expected to be a lot milder than in Christmas 2010, but motorists are being warned not to get complacent about driving conditions.

A WHITE CHRISTMAS looks increasingly unlikely with the arrival of (slightly) warmer weather this week.

The good news is that driving conditions are expected to be much, much better than last year as people travel around the country for Christmas. However, AA Roadwatch is warning motorists not to get complacent about their journeys over the festive season.

Sunny spells and scattered rain are forecast for the earlier part of this week, according to Met Éireann, with early indications that conditions will dry up for Christmas Eve.

The milder temperatures of between 10 and 13 degrees in the first half of the week are expected to dip slightly towards the weekend, dropping to between 5 and 10 degrees during the day on Friday and  around 1 degree that night. Irish Weather Online says that temperatures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be between 4 to 12 degrees.

Top tips for driving over Christmas:

Road conditions

  • Motorists should continue to keep an eye on road temperatures before starting out on any journey. Conditions can be checked on the AA’s website.
  • Designated drivers need to be careful driving on frosty roads at night and watch for black ice. A spokesperson for AA Roadwatch said that stopping distances could be increased by up to ten times in icy conditions.
  • Gentle manoeuvres are recommended on icy roads.

Car conditions

  • The AA’s call-out teams see a spike in calls over flat batteries at this time of year. You can help prevent such battery problems by giving the cold engine little time to warm up before starting all the electrics.
  • Instead of using the windscreen wipers to clear frost; instead use a scraper or a warm, damp cloth to clear the windscreen.
  • Always check your tyres before starting on a long journey.

Planning

  • People driving home for Christmas should be aware of their fatigue levels and should plan their journey in advance.
  • Identify safe places to pull in if you need refreshments or a break. (i.e. NOT the hard should of a motorway, which should only be used in absolute emergencies.)
  • If taking a break, try to get a caffeine drink, take a 15-minute power nap, and get out and stretch your legs.
  • Share the driving, when possible.

Do you have any tips for tackling long car journeys over the festive season? Share them in the comments below.

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21 Comments
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    Mute Edward Vanderlee
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 7:51 AM

    Bad batch of illegal narcotics is being made out like a bad batch of pasteurised milk or baby food. These are drugs that have been mixed with anything and everything .
    Step up the war against drugs, don’t appease them.

    110
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    Mute T Paul Kelly
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 9:54 AM

    @Edward Vanderlee:
    How is the war going ?
    50+ years now.

    83
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    Mute Kevin Collins
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 10:36 AM

    @Edward Vanderlee: The war on drugs has been a complete and abject failure and the world has thankfully started to move on to different approaches. It’s not about rewarding or appeasing users and sellers, it’s about reducing harms to society as a whole. You may not particularly like or approve of the introduction of supervised injection centres, but I for one applaud them as a lesser evil than shooting up in alleyways and laneways in broad daylight. Get with the times, boomer.

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    Mute Liam Dunne
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 11:33 AM

    @Kevin Collins: it’s also about Not punishing people who end up mostly through no fault of there own in addiction and or with mental health problems. We wouldn’t jail someone who had cancer but the jails are full of addicts. #childhoodtrauma

    31
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    Mute Edward Vanderlee
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 5:19 PM

    @T Paul Kelly: its not going well but it’s 100% the right thing to do.
    I live a short walk from Thomas Street in Dublin. The amount of addicts in that area is terrible, publicly injecting.
    No society should normalise that.
    Support the addicts and jail the dealers.

    10
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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 5:40 PM

    @Edward Vanderlee: It’s not going well but it’s the right thing to do ? Think about that statement. The answer is counterintuitive but unfortunately we all have to wait for the less agile thinkers like yourself, to catch up with the rest of us. Then we can finally start changing policy, making a difference and saving lives.

    5
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    Mute Edward Vanderlee
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 5:48 PM

    @Declan Doherty: no need to resort to insults now Declan. I’m perfectly agile mentally.
    I saw three people injecting eachother in the entrance of a hotel the other day on my way to work.
    Those poor people. The poor gardai trying to police it too where the courts are a revolving door.
    Nothing ageist about it… that’s not acceptable in any society.

    6
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    Mute Dale Voinz
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 6:27 AM

    I’m in the hostels and there was three deaths in my hostel alone while that batch was going around and I know of good few who died. Why has there been no reporting on that?

    84
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 6:39 AM

    Would the author of this piece care to find out how many died during that bad batch?

    Or are we too woke to print that kind of thing?

    87
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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 10:15 AM

    @Denis Rathsallagh Brady: how is that ‘woke’ in any way? Didn’t they have an article a week or two ago detailing a number of deaths to that point if i recall, do you not believe them or something?

    23
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 6:14 PM

    @Setanta O’Toole: I obviously didnt read that article but it would be helpful if the figures were put into this article too.

    Ive even given them the number for Merchants Quay Ireland.

    You sure it was deaths due to this bad batch and not lives saved by Naloxone?

    5
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    Mute GVR
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 11:18 AM

    I mean, one knows the risks. Choices

    33
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    Mute T Paul Kelly
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 9:51 AM

    Have to say well done to the department of health who see the value of harm reduction ( eg festival pill testing) – pity the Department of Justice seem to be trapped in the dark ages.

    33
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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 7:38 AM

    Here ill help you out.
    Heres Merchants Quay phone number wont take you a minute to ring them.

    (01) 524 0160

    26
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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 10:17 AM

    The police forces knows who are the dealers, yet no one is getting locked up

    25
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    Mute alan scott
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 1:33 PM

    @Dominic Leleu: locking up those who do drive is counterproductive. We have overflowing prisons at the present time and you want to add more??? rehabilitation, awareness campaigns though workforces, schools, PLC colleges, 3rd level etc is the way to go.

    8
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    Mute alan scott
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 1:33 PM

    @Dominic Leleu: forget the typo lol meant drugs not drive lol

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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 6:18 PM

    @alan scott: those are mere bandages… As long as we have a drugs policy from the 1980s the only outcomes will be rich mob bosses and endless, needless death and crime.

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    Mute Shivers
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 7:45 AM

    Need to give it to lecturers and staff at all the third level colleges.

    21
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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 6:16 PM

    Hilarious that anyone thinks our rightwing government cares about saving lives.

    80th worst healthcare system in the world.

    75k homeless

    Drugs policy from the 1980s, which is enriching gangs and killing the sick.

    Suicide epidemic

    Etc.

    We – as a people – are far more likely to throw babies in a septic tank than help the poor and sick.

    9
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    Mute Tríona Commode
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    Jan 3rd 2024, 8:11 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: Multiple-choice question.
    Are you:
    a. deranged?
    b. delirious?
    c. profoundly delusional?
    d. lying?

    3
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