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ROAD HAULIERS HAVE warned of a “epidemic” of mobile phone use at the wheel, visible to truck drivers from the vantage point of their cabs.
The Irish Road Haulage Association association has also warned of tailgating, dangerous overtaking on country roads and people not knowing how to behave on roundabouts.
Ger Hyland, president of the association, said there is insufficient garda enforcement of mobile phone use by drivers.
He said driver standards are at an “all-time low”, with speeding and mobile phone use particularly prevalent among drivers. Hyland said hauliers can see people texting and browsing social media while driving from their position in their cabs. Hauliers are in a unique position with their “birds eye view” perspective of the road, he explained.
Mobile phone use “is an epidemic that is causing accidents and road deaths and there doesn’t seem to be any consistent garda enforcement to stamp it out.”
Hyland said he has heard accusations of hauliers themselves using their phones while driving, adding that he would not defend any haulier engaging in this “bad behaviour”.
Hyland also expressed concern at the condition of some country roads. Poor road infrastructure and areas with “accident black spots” need to be improved, he said. He also suggested increased driver education may be needed.
“The road is our workplace,” Hyland said. “Road safety is everybody’s responsibility.”
As of this morning, 42 people had lost their lives on the roads so far this year, down from 55 last year. In 2024, there were over 170 deaths on Irish roads.
Road deaths increased in the years after the pandemic, a trend that seems to have been driven by a deterioration in driver behaviour.
Garda road policing has increased to tackle the deadly trend, with uniform officers required to do 30 minutes road policing per shift since last year. Gardaí have also been using an unmarked truck to catch people breaking the law, such as by using their phones at the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt.
Research presented to the government and gardaí last year concluded Irish drivers estimate the risk of being caught using the phone at the wheel at “close to zero”.
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The military swears an oath to the lawful government of the country, therefore the government alone, with parliamentary approval, should decide where our troops are deployed. No foreign power (especially the incompetent UN!) should have influence whatsoever on our military matters.
John, what makes you think that a government/parliament that repeatedly acts against the interests of the irish people can make the right decisions when it comes to the military? I agree about the UN but I don’t think the bungling government, whether its FG/FF/Lab/SF that are in power, can make the right military decisions according to our constitution. They will always be heavily influenced by NATO/UN/US interests which are not necessarily Irelands interests.
Wait, what? If you don’t have faith in the government to instruct the military then your argument should be that the military be disbanded.
Not a bad idea but id rather an army that did something to prevent daily occurrences such as this – http://notstat.org/palestine/PRSQV8
Sorry should have said this is a very disturbing image pls dont look if you are sensitive
Ireland IS Neutral ,and will Remain so,no matter what this Monster European Onion says .A European Army Juncker Plans .I say Eire Must leave this UNwanted ,UNloved and UNdemocratic EU .Lisbon Treaty Protocols that Ireland will not compromise our Neutrality has been placed into EU treaty .NO to any Irish involvement in any EU Army .
How about holding off on till someone attacks us and them tear them a new one.
Spoken like a true Irishman Glen !
A pointless exercise, the current government and that disaster Shstter have destroyed the army.
Glen, unless it was Putin. Then you would say “let’s all bow down to this great leader’
Glen, I’m sorry. I should have said that if Ireland was invaded you would accuse the Irish army, the govt, the west, the EU, and the USA of provoking the invading army.
Rock, paper, scissors ?
Ireland should not tie it’s hands with the Triple Lock.
For one, it hinders rapid deployment of forces.
The deployment of troops abroad is essentially the decision of a sovreign government primarily, and parliament, not the UN.
For instance when an Irish journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad the Army Ranger Wing was put on readiness to deploy to Iraq and carry out a hostage rescue mission by the Government.
Time obviously was of the essence – and a ridiculous situation where Dail approval would be needed would put the hostage in even greater danger and alert the terrorists.
In the event the planned operation and deploymenent was aborted as foreign SF were involved immediately when he was located.
Despite Government and Army denials a similiar military option was on the table when two aid workers were kidnapped in Sudan.
Again, rapid deployment, secrecy, and surprise, would be the key elements in such a mission.
This sending of our troops overseas is a total farce . If they fire as much as one bullet there is a huge enquiry – they are totally muzzled in this respect and everyone knows that – they go abroad and the State gets huge payments . The soldiers do well out of it as well -
So you think the only purpose of an army abroad is to shoot people, and anything other is a farce?
Of course not BUT in the process of peace keeping there is bound to be skirmishes and the policy with our army is to keep heads down, don’t go out and keep low – that has been the policy over the years as dictated by the Government of the day – I am not castigating our troops but the policy
Knowing the shower of eejits currently running things they’ll opt to use their favourite decision make tool….the magic 8ball…..”abolish water charges”…..ask again later…..
Dont send them anywhere. Disband the army and use the money for research into space travel and food production in alien environments.
I dont get creightons comment. Is she saying that she actually does think its a viable position??
And who are we to take the lead from? Nato? Sure they have a great track record for not starting illegal wars.
Ill stick with a UN mandate thank you very much! And while we are at it, better pay, conditions and equipment for our world renowned defence forces. Any military who have had the pleasure of working with our lads have nothing but the highest praise for their professionalism and competence.
I’m sorry to break it to you Brian, but if Ireland were invaded tomorrow we would rely entirely on NATO for our defence.
Why would NATO defend us we’re not a member? The only reason NATO might act would be if Ireland was used as a staging point for attacks on the UK and even then, they’d be more likely to attack rather than defend us.
Jason, if ireland were invaded tomorrow? What in the name of jaysus are you on about? Exactly which NATO bred boogeyman do you think might ‘invade’ us? Al Qaeda? ISIS? Russia? Or maybe Iran? The world needs NATO like it needs atomic bombs, ebola, aids and global warming!
Ireland HAS been Invaded ,by Foreign Nationals .Wake up guys
Tell them to stop picking their noses outside the banks.
You have a bizarre obsession with displaying your ignorance about the Irish Army online.
Simple division, if the lads aren’t too busy minding security vans send them , but only if it’s safe and no one is shooting at them
Eric You wouldn’t last long in the American army /special forces
yeah but how long would the A.A. or their special forces last in the Premiership – that is the question !
@Nicky Your article is misleading as it suggest that China and Russia are the only country’s to have a veto, when in fact all 5 permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States have the same veto. Furthermore they all have at various stages of the history of the security council acted in their own self interests.
Lucinda knows what she’s talking about unlike most of the other clowns in the Dail.
her assessment is correct but her solution is way off ….. this makes the defence forces the praetorian guard of any government – not on !
Look at who suggested that the deployment of small groups didn’t need the usual rigours – Alan Shatter – that’s like saying if they had only knocked one of the towers then it wouldn’t be real terrorism but because two fell then its terrorism …
The army is all about rules and regulations for very good reason – a slip in one little area and the whole thing becomes a disjointed farce !
Man has only and not even continuously had standing armies for 3.5% of his existence – makes one wonder how we managed for 94,000 years without them
We just shouldn’t be involved anywhere. Bring all of our troops home
For sake we need u army to stay & seize the power from insane Enda Kenny…..so water charge would be abolished!
No wars
I raised the issue of the Triple Lock on a number of occasions while involved in politics. Sadly the problem remains and I still believe The ‘triple–lock’ mechanism is hindering the Army’s peacekeeping role abroad. I would urge Minister Coveney to address this issue and welcome his recent remarks.
Order of Business Seanad Eireann Tuesday, 1 April 2003
Extract
‘Today, the first ever peacekeeping operation led by the European Union commences in Macedonia. Unfortunately, Ireland is not taking part, even though I think 99% of the Irish people would say that we should. The reason we are not involved is the triple-lock mechanism whereby one country, the People’s Republic of China, has vetoed a UN mandate, yet we have unanimous EU support for the mission. This poses serious foreign policy questions for us vis-à-vis our EU colleagues. We have become tied up in legal and political loopholes from which we need to extract ourselves. I would urge the Leader to arrange a debate on this serious issue’
I further raised it during the Debate on Irish Neutrality Seanad Éireann 25th June 2003 and again during The Defence Amendment Bill – Tuesday, 27th June 2006
The Irish people in agreeing the triple lock had not intended that Irish troops could not participate in humanitarian missions because China, for some reason of vested interest, decided to exercise its veto at the Security Council.
Little do the poor troops know they are only being used by our Government. For the betterment of the British and Americans
Ireland has one of the smallest but best trained & educated forces in the world. Isolationist attitudes leave us open to being ambushed. We need to start investing and supporting our military and preparing for the inevitable. ISIS & ℅ are sitting 200km from Italy now. & we are the last point in EU before US. Time to open our eyes & coffers
She certainly has a point. In a situation where multiple countries have the option of vetoing external action, surely we should take that body’s recommendation to be lesser than the word of our government and the EU.
The triple lock system is useless why should we have to seek UN approval they are a bunch of bickering children who cant agree on anything case in point Rwanda and Syria. I say we decide where we go, when we go and if we go by referendum in regards to peacekeeping and only in time of war which lets not kid ourselves is possible because of the two nations we are in between Britain to the east and America to the west. Also the fact we are defensibly weak and a giant weapons platform with no navy and an air corp about as advanced as the Luftwaffe meaning we would be overwhelmed in a day if invasion ever came from eg Russia. Our system should be Government approval from both houses and president if we are ever attacked or to declare war like everyone else.
In fairness the fact that the US, Russia, China,France and the UK control the Irish defense forces is odd.
My rusty bullet hole has seen more Helmuts than Hitler
It is not just China but Russia and America too
We are seen a revival in Russian European aggression in Ukraine which the west are ignoring.
What happens in Russia goes into an EU state the Baltics or Poland what will Ireland do then
Watch Warsaw or Tallinn been bombed on our TV every night before we go to bed.
And thats not to mention USA’s relationship to Israel and the lack of progress there
We need to move away from the UN and look at military alliances in Europe to protect our interests
Over Enda Kennys dead body?
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