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ON WEDNESDAY, THE MV Shingle, a former smuggling ship, was sunk in the seabed off Co Mayo to create the country’s first artificial reef.
The ship had been seized by authorities ten years previously when it was used in an attempt to transport a shipment that led to the seizure of 32 million cigarettes and 4.5 tonnes of tobacco in 2014.
Since its seizure, it had been rusting in storage. Now, it has been given a new lease of life as an “underwater oasis”, acting as a diving wreck which is hoped will increase tourism in the area.
In honour of Ireland’s newest shipwreck: How much do you know about these famous shipwrecks?
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Wasn’t the rural speed limit 80kmph in 2021 too? How is this speed limit to blame now? This won’t make any difference, it’s window dressing. Enforcement of the 80 speed limit would save lives. This move is a finger in the dike, it’s an absolute joke and an insult to victims and their loved ones.
@Anthony Ryan: 100%
@Anthony Ryan: a pen pushing exercise for someone to justify the wages they get.
@Anthony Ryan: transport ministers keep putting the blame on speeds instead of actually addressing the real problem – terrible road conditions(surface/potholes/visibility/trees and vegetation) ministers doing and blaming everything other than the real problem.
Some of the experts were saying that the funding for road maintenance was absolutely abysmal, everything went to cycle lanes. And then government is raising concerns “why there are so many fatalities on the roads” because you invested all the fk road tax money in to cycle lanes and useless sh..t instead ???
@Anthony Ryan: agree, it’s the low driving standards that we can see on the Irish roads. Do people really think that 12h on the road with an instructor is enough, also the theory test is just a joke, the questions are way to easy.
@Lei tatt: you are legally obliged to drive at a speed at or BELOW the speed limit according to the conditions – rain, snow, fog or poor road surface. The speed limit is not an invitation to drive at that speed.
As for the expert who said road maintenance funding was used for cycle lanes, this is not true. The funding for cycle lanes was out of a completely separate fund, specifically set up for that, not the road maintenance fund. That so-called expert doesn’t know what he is talking about.
@Anthony Ryan: They haven’t factored in covid restrictions during 2020 and 2021 so that was why accidents were down during those years.
@Anthony Ryan: Agreed Anthony, but the only people who can stop the speeding epidemic currently happening are ourselves, the motorists. The Garda traffic unit, the speed vans, and the speed camera are not and never have been a deterrent. If speeding motorists don’t/won’t obey the current limits, they will not obey any reduced limits. I think it’s time to make examples of those caught speeding. Draconian as it may sound, if you are caught speeding in your own private vehicle,your employers vehicle, or any vehicle, then that vehicle should be immediately detained and not released until the Court date for the offence has concluded and on the instruction of the presiding Judge. Maybe, just maybe, after a few cases, motorists will cop on. The loss of a vehicle is better than the loss of a life.
@Anthony Ryan: it is easier to bring in new laws rather than enforce the existing ones, and they can claim to be doing something. Same old same old.
@Kevin Farrell: The €69 per head of population funding was way too much for such a small minority in the country.
They have been shoehorned into places they cannot fit and the design endangers everybody. particularly pedestrians!
Once again the government take the easy option rather than increase enforcement. Might make sense to reduce the local roads to 60kph but the move to 30kph in every town is overkill and will be a goldmine for the speed vans in areas where there has been no fatalities.
@The next small thing: Even driving at 50 on a long approach to a town can be difficult to maintain. You’re driving in 3rd or 4th gear,causing more pollution to the environment. There’s no obvious hazards,but you’re driving slower than what can still be a safe speed. Drive carefully,drive safely,be aware at all times of potential danger,have respect for other road users.
@The next small thing: actually the 30km/h limit is based on scientific studies on the topic! The number didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s meant to be the best safety:speed ratio if I remember correctly. Though frankly including public transport infrastructure would also help in road fatalities and I think has a more obvious good that the public can get behind :^)
@Larry Betts: that’s shoite Larry, no one pun in the whole comment…
@Larry Betts: You hear this nonsense from motorists every time there’s a change in speed limit: that somehow it’s not safe to drive at that lower speed. In urban areas apparently 50km/h is the safe speed and driving at 30km/h is somehow impossible. Now you’re telling us driving at 50km/h is impossible if you’re approaching a town. Have you considered that maybe you’re just a bad driver?
@The next small thing: Here in mainland Europe driving at 30KM in residential areas and near schools is the norm. I haven’t heard of any Audi or BMW drivers here complaining about issues controlling their cars at such speeds…
Crazy to do a blanket reduction, should be done on a road by road basis, most accidents are caused by bad drivers, over the limit on drink or drugs ,
@John Freeman: And pensioners that did their license 50-60 years ago.
@Áine G:
Exactly, I know several drivers who bought their licence when there was a backlog years ago who I wouldn’t trust with a wheelbarrow
@John Freeman: have ye got the data to support that or just in your infinite wisdom
@DC: just the infinite wisdom and 30 years driving experience
@Áine G: Not true. Statistically they are safer.
@Me Me: and they need regular certification of fitness to drive from their doctor.
@Me Me: They aren’t safer. Statistically they have more chance of causing a fender bender and leaving the scene.
@Áine G: Nonsense. You don’t see older drivers checking their “knees” as they drive. Trite ageism on display here.
@John Freeman: or on their phones.
@Alex: Present the statistics so ..
@DC: they were known as the Cowboy Licences at the time.
Drive these types of roads daily. Barely anyone obeys the speed limit as it is. Been overtaken on a blind corner recently… A speed sign won’t change behaviors
@Rafa C: I am constantly facing drivers coming towards me after dangerously overtaking. Twice last week,within the space of thirty minutes, I had to actually stop as drivers overtook cyclists and narrowly avoided hitting me. Cyclist on their side of the road,they should slow down and pass when safe,not the driver they are heading towards
@Larry Betts: Being the cyclist in this situation is equally terrifying. Slowing down for a safe section of road with good sight lines is gone out the window. Drivers now just gamble on blind overtaking and then react like it’s a massive surprise when a car comes in the opposite direction. Putting two cars and a cyclist in danger to save a few seconds.
The reduction of speed limits on good straight roads will not reduce serious collisions. It’s driver behaviour that’s the cause,this needs to be tackled first. Certainly,some winding narrow roads with lots of little side roads leading off should be immediately changed,you could hardly drive at 80 even if you tried. National secondary routes reduced to 80? This needs to be done on a case by case basis. If the local council sees fit,change the limit,not done nationwide as if all roads are the same. Sort out repeat learner driver licences handed out,impound failed NCT cars,and have speed traps not in revenue income sites,but in places where they may make a difference.
@Larry Betts: 100% agree
@John Freeman: And punish, actually punish, the drivers who have no respect for others in the road. Fellas banned from driving should not be on the road, if they’re found behind the wheel they should be jailed and their cars confiscated.
Near record employment, roads busier than ever, number of accidents may go up, but the rate per capita is still among the lowest in the world. I bet they don’t even have any data behind the decision.
It’s unfortunate that people die on the road, but if you want to make substantive change then the discussion needs to be data driven.
Where are accidents occuring?
Age group?
Driving experience?
Road conditions?
Vehicle condition?
They’d never do that, easier just slap a lower speed limit on it and say “hey we did something”. What happens now when there is not statistical improvement?
It’ll take a recession to drive the rate down to take cars off the road.
This is insanity, it equates to a 37 MPH speed limit. It’s a blatant attempt to increase journey times and create revenue form drivers clearly obeying the 80KPH limit by reducing it even further.
Ryan’s legacy to force everyone off the road..
Why is learning to drive (including road safety) part of the secondary school curriculum? It would be more of a service rather than this…
@maureen doherty: definitely should be. Even learning the rules of the road would be better than nothing. I know that you cant get a provisional licence until 17 but they must have computer apps & steering wheels that could teach/help.
the backward gobsh%*e who pulls out and does 60 on a 100 stretch will now do 40 and cause more accidents because of the frustrated drivers who wish to obey the limits but are forced to a crawl by those who hug the centre of the road at 20/40 under the limit…therein lies the problem.
if you want to drive slowwwwly , keep well in to the left and allow other drivers to overtake safely and continue a safe drive with no stress.
@Michael James Brennan: spot on see it all the time,
@Michael James Brennan: Add in ignorant farm vehicle drivers who completely ignore the build up of traffic behind them and carry on regardless even though they could have pulled in at numerous places to allow people pass
@Michael James Brennan:
What is it with middle lane drivers on 3 lane motorways ? Absolute cabbages.
Any chance of a bit of enforcement of existing laws not to mind new ones!
The speed limit is less of a problem than the blinding dazzlement of the new L.E.D. headlights. On country roads they’re literally, in your face.
@IMHO: Not only from those coming towards you,but from those up your ar$e behind you too. Rear view mirror,wing mirror dazzled by them. And also going around with fog lights on front and rear because main lights not working. This mandatory Garda instruction of 30 mins of road traffic duty per day should be stopping all of this
All the laws in the world are useless, if they are not enforced!
The local an regional roads are not fit for purpose an need to b upgraded most have 90degree bends high hedges an no cats eyes nite time driving is almost suicidal in parts
@David Byrne: Yeah,cat’s eyes or reflective lines at edges are sadly missing on the vast majority of dangerous country roads
A new culture of road deaths is coming, in the shape of E-scooters and E-bikes. That lot couldn’t give a crap about the rules of the road.
@Eric Gaffney: And why are they always dressed from head to toe in dark colours,is this a cult thing? At the very least they should be made to wear a hi-viz jacket. They sail through red lights,up on footpaths,back on the road again. Not a care the world. Need to be licensed,regulated and punishable for road traffic offences.
@Larry Betts: Ah….but they’re environmentally friendly, a legacy from Cabbage-head!
@Brian Hunt: Cabbage head? I don’t know about that,but he certainly has a brassica neck
@Larry Betts: Not bad!
@Brian Hunt: Reality is most of them are not green at all!
I’ve just checked the calendar. 7th February is a Friday. Why not start a new regulation on a Monday,start of the week,rather than the ‘end’ of a week? Public announcements,media coverage,” From next week you’re going to have to do this…” When are the speed limit signs going to be changed,overnight?! The whole thing is a farce
Like the increased penalty points and increased fines, lowering speed limits will do nothing unless the roads policing unit has more presence on the roads and enforces it
What a joke
I live in North Wicklow…. parish of Mr Harris. The state of the roads in the greater Greystones/ Delgany/ Kilcoole area is an absolute disgrace…. there is barely a road marking to be seen not to mention the road surfaces.
@Jp Cleary: Safer roads, safer driving. That should be the focus. Forget about a sweeping statement of ‘Let’s Reduce the Speed Limits!’ That’s done in an office meeting with no meaningful effort. The real problems should be addressed,not just a ‘Hey we’re doing something to save lives’ malarkey
Oh god, so people who drive at 60kph on an 100kph road will now be driving at 30kph on an 80kph. The be safe be seen brigade are going to be over the moon :)
What about the European approach.. lower the limit where there is a reason to.. ie: bad bends etc.. 60kph on a long stretch of uninhabited road is just undoable.. make the limit suitable to the state of the roads instead of a revenue generating exercise..
The road on which I drive most often and on which I have driven on for years, used to have a 60mph/96.6km limit, then it changed to an 80km/49.7mph limit and on February 7th it will change to a 60km/37.2mph limit.
The changes have made it more dangerous, not less. I regularly find myself obstructed by muppets driving in front of me at less than 60km and across the centre line and them meeting their fellow muppets coming in the other direction at which point they both stamp on the brakes and crawl passed each other, they also drift across the line at corners turning in either direction, as if maintaining an equidistant position on the road was impossible task.
From the 7th of February, these muppets will continue to do the very same, but then at 40km/24.8mph.
What is a reduction going to do if idiots choose to ignore them and speed past it anyway? This some self-pat reassurance of “having done something” that’ll do sweet feck all..?
@Kieran Menon: You’re absolutely right. I encounter several dangerous overtaking manoeuvres every week from impatient drivers. Lowering the speed limits will only lead to more impatient drivers making more dangerous manoeuvres. I’m not saying increase the limits,I’m saying increase the policing of bad behaviour,let the responsible drivers continue to drive in a safe manner.
‘The limit is 80, I’m going to do 80! Eff off!’
The law catching up with the mentality of people whose brain cells only work on alternate days.
@Ronan Mc: Happened to be behind a fair few drivers who think its fine and dandy to trundle along at 70kmph along roads with 100kmph limits. When they go into a town where there are 60kmph and 50kmph limits, they still drive at 70kmph. Worst kind of driver, a menace to everyone and everything around them.
Garbage nanny state Ireland
Speed limits won’t solve the problem of bad drivers on the Irish roads.
Driving Test standards are super low in this country – and exams are way to easy to pass
There is not enough radars or police actually doing their jobs.
60k/h can also kill you if you think you are good driver, when you’re not.
Speed traps nothing more. A revenue generating exercise. The person who came up with 60 km/h on all back roads clearly doesn’t drive them.
Just more big city folks with little brain ideas. It must hurt to know that the rest of the country doesn’t care about ye. #Dublin for the Dubs!
“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you.” -Jeremy Clarkson
The nanny state strikes again! Don’t those idiots at the RSA and in the government realise that reducing speed limits has the opposite effect. People are more likely not to follow them the more stringent they get, and as a result, more people are involved in crashes on our roads. It’s no surprise that the safest motorway and road system in Europe is the Autobahn in terms on the number of crashes and fatalities, yet there is no speed limit whatsoever. That’s because people don’t feel the need to take extra unnecessary risks such as speeding, because they are able to freely choose the speed at which they go at. It’s high time that we repealed speed limits on most of our motorways and roads as well and let the people freely choose the speed at which they go at.
@William Jennings: Full of inaccuracies as ususl.. And we’re not talking about the Autobahn here Sherlock.. We’re talking about rural country roads and urban roads. Germany has 50km limits in towns and cities and 30km limits on some city roads..Also the “no speed limit” applies to just over half of the Autobahn..In built up areas it is restricted to between 95km- 115km ..Statistics also show that sections without limits have 75% more deaths and injuries than the sections with speed limits..so there goes your moronic theory.
@Brian: Stop lying and being a general idiot. You know right well that the areas of the Autobahn which have a speed limit is only about 15% of the full road network, not just under 50% like you incorrectly stated. There is also not a single study which shows that the areas with no speed limit have seen a 75% increase in the number of accidents. The accident rates on the Autobahn, which includes the 85% of the full road network without speed limits, are significantly lower than any other European country and that’s just a fact. you’re doing is pulling numbers out of your ass and I’m not going to fall for it buddy. Also, you are deliberately obfuscating what I said. I support repealing speed limits on the motorway and on rural roads, not any of the urban ones. You’re embarrassing yourself.
@William Jennings: Here Dumbo, Obviously whoever is in charge of you allows usage of their phone at the weekends .. You said it had no speed limits. . Now you’re saying 15%.. I said just over half, not under, and circa 60 percent is just over half . . Comprehension isn’t your strong point, you’re always reading what’s not there . I never said the no limit section has seen a” 75 per cent increase in the number of accidents ” read again slowly.. I said it had a higher death and injury rate than the applied speed limit section. Fact. https://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/tempolimit-koennte-jaehrlich-bis-zu-140-todesfaelle-verhindern-a-1254504.html
@Brian: The important bit, because I just know you can’t speak German.. you have a tentative grasp of English, at best. “The number of seriously injured people and, above all, deaths is significantly lower here: While 0.95 fatal accidents occur per billion kilometers with a speed limit, this value is 1.67 in sections without a speed limit, i.e. around 75 percent higher. The number of seriously injured people is also almost 20 percent higher on sections without a speed limit”
@Brian: And another thing.. the recommended speed limit on the autobahn is 130kmph. This study shows that even without a speed limit, “77 percent of the cars on the motorways were driving slower than 130 kmph. Twelve percent drove at 130 to 140 kmph. Nine percent of drivers aimed for a speed of between 140 and 160 kmph. According to the study, less than two percent of drivers traveled at more than 160 kilometers per hour” .. Morons like yourself I assume. https://www.spiegel.de/auto/fahrkultur/tempolimit-77-prozent-der-fahrerinnen-und-fahrer-sind-mit-weniger-als-130-km-h-unterwegs-a-fa3faf62-3b81-4382-8e8b-e5b6eee04eec In the main they observe a speed limit very similar to our own.. like I said.. there goes you’re moronic theory.
@Brian: You done with your little incoherent rant chump? I get that you’re probably a kid by your mouthy attitude, so be quiet while I educate you on basic facts. The NRSO did a study on sections of the motorway with speed limits on the Autobahn. When the maximum speed limit was increased from 90km per hour to 120km per hour, it actually showed an 18% decrease in the number of accidents. Another study by the University of Hamburg showed that when the speed limit on parts of the Autobahn 24 between Berlin and Hamburg increased their speed limit from 70km per hour to 130km per hour, there was a 48% reduction in injury and material damage crashes, and a 57% decrease in casualties over the following three years. Increasing the speed limit means less people will be tempted to break it.
@Brian: Furthermore, the National Motorists Association’s study on decreasing speed limits on motorways showed that according to a speed-limit brochure published in conjunction with the Michigan State Patrol, inappropriately established speed limits which are capped at a low number cause drivers to take all traffic signals less seriously. The brochure also points out that unrealistic speed limits create two groups of drivers. Those that try to obey the limit and those that drive at a speed they feel is safe and reasonable. This causes dangerous differences in speed. Funny how you are deliberately choosing sources in foreign languages because you can’t be fact-checked. Anyway, there goes your moronic theory out the window. Cry more buddy, you don’t hold a monopoly on opinions.
@William Jennings: Once again you don’t post any links to your BS.. I’m sure the ” brochure ” you mention is cute and all that but you held up the Autobahn as your example but now you want to waffle on about Michigan. I’ve clearly demonstrated to you that deaths and injuries are greater in the non speed limit areas of the Autobahn .. as for fact checking( bit rich coming from a troll who never links any sources) I know this might come as a shock to you .. bit there is a thing called Google translate.. which helps morons like you read things in other languages..DER SPIEGEL is Germany’s leading news magazine and most up-to-date news website. Its journalism is characterized by in-depth investigations, reliable quality and its commitment to investigative journalism. Now jog on moron.
Irrelevant – never guards on the road anyways to enforce it.
and bear in mind there was a green washer from 2020 til November 2024 as Minister for Transport, he gave no road funding to any roads. Made sure there is long waiting lists for the NCT and the driving test. Meanwhile there’s vehicles and drivers on the road that shouldn’t be allowed on the road as the indicator for other drivers where your going must be an optional extra in a lot of vehicles. As for when there’s a bulb blown in the vehicle, many people don’t replace these important bulbs
Good. Many roads don’t support 80kph.
I’ll just get my donkey and cart ready
More potholes and piles of spilled concrete or field muck,that’ll slow em down.
If the speed limits keep reducing the we’ll see a time where we’ll be overtaken by e-scooters and e-bikes. I believe it’s not so much the speed as the lack of experience, skill, variable conditions and road craft that account for an above average amount of incidents on public roads. Also it can be challenging for right hand side road drivers who come to a country where left hand side drivers barely know how to drive responsibly
I think more people die on our roads than a stormy night.
Ridiculous it’s a money making scheme. Just change dangerous junctions to round abouts.
Repair roads I find many roads on the ditch side have sunken which can cause your car to bounce on to coming traffic.
Paint road markings, make signs more visible, clear more vegetation.
Put speed bumps or those stop go systems on all routes into towns instead of speed vans the min it goes to 50.
What an absolutely ridiculous thing to do, this will NOT stop speeders, once a speeder always a speedster until they crash and die..
Can I still drive and text Netflix?
As a cruise control user at 60kph i can a lot of people overtaking me rushing around.
The high amount of road deaths has proved the Go safe vans are only the governments cash cows the speed vans have done nothing to prevent road deaths as the road death figures prove ! Changing speed limits will not deter speeders or bad drivers enforcement through catching re-educating or removal of licence is the only deterrent that will work and saves lives.
About time..80 on some of those roads are lethal..little boy racers have to slow down..
More nonsense. Speed limits are irrelevant unless enforced vigorously. To do that would require a dedicated Garda roads policing unit numbering many thousands.
Plus, from the 7th, everyone should be issued with 8 penalty points to shake it up some more.
Without a proper breakdown as to cause of accident, details of driver/s, road and weather conditions, state of roadworthiness of vehicle and general attitude like non insured or non tested or taxed vehicles this is a pointless exercise.
The speed limit should be 60kph nation wide. Including on motorways. Just another tip to further enhance the SAFETY on our roads.
Speed indeed makes the outcome of an accident worse. Why has nobody tried to identify the cause of the accidents and address this. Surely prevention is a better approach. .. too many distractions in a modern car.
This is the easy answer to a more complicated problem. Speed is not the sole cause of road deaths. Driver behaviour is obviously a major factor and a bad driver at 60kph is still a bad driver that may cause an accident.
What about road conditions, drainage and overgrown hedgerows blocking vision and access at junctions?
More importantly, tyres? One can purchase a cheap rubbish tyre and pass the NCT because it has sufficient thread depth. What about stopping distance in the dry and wet? It could be 100m plus more than a good reputable brand tyre. Why isn’t the quality of the tyre brand a part of the NCT? Why are substandard tyres allowed into the country?
In old money, these are very slow speeds:
Main 2-lane roads: 49mph
Ordinary country roads: 37mph
Urban areas: 18mph
Lads, I’m middle-aged and not very fit, but I could break the latter 2 speeds on my (non-battery) push-bike.
Part of the dangerous roads issue is that we still do not have a
serious driving test.
Both North and South of the border, we are deemed competent to drive all cars in all conditions by virtue of doing some stage-managed, low-speed manoeuvres in a low-powered hatchback. The driving test is more about suburban driving etiquette than actual driving. Among other inexcusable omissions:
- Motorway / high-speed driving is neither taught nor tested;
- Night driving is neither taught nor tested;
- Safe cornering techniques are neither taught nor tested; and
- Winter / low-grip driving is neither taught nor tested.
In Scandinavian countries for example, you drive at speed across a skid-pan, and the car spins out of control, between 2 orange lines on the track. To pass the test, you have to control the skidding car so as to keep it between the twi lines.
Can you imagine, introducing such a test requirement in Britain or Ireland? Many people would not be competent successfully to complete such a basic safety manoeuvre.
In the past, a stronger culture of general car enthusiasm meant that new drivers took pride in trying to drive competently and to continue developing their skills. In the EV age, the increasing muppet-ification of driving means that that culture of “pride in competence” no longer applies.
The facile nature of the driving test is deliberate. If driving was
made accessible only to the attentive, governments would suffer a
major tax revenue hit. The only way to ensure a high driver tax
return is to allow half-trained drivers onto public roads. And the
simplest way to monitor half-trained drivers is to ensure that
everyone drives at low speeds. It’s easier, and more profitable, to
manage roads negatively via ever-decreasing speed limits than to
manage them positively by getting serious about driving standards.
Absolute joke. Everyone that is not a career politician sitting in a cushy office knows exactly why road deaths are increasing: no Gardai on the roads. Literally none, for many many years now. Drive the M50 after 8pm and you see a scenario taken from Need for Speed or any other racing videogame. And even aside youngsters, even more worrying is that almost EVERYONE is starting to forget what the basic rules should look like, because again, no Gardai re-education. Lower the speed limits to 10km/h, even better, let’s push our cars; what difference will that make if there is no-one out there to enforce them, and enforce them “live” (not a notice by post a week later), and on a surprise basis (not pre-announced speed traps that are actually more dangerous rather than less).
have your say