It should be noted that in rural areas, many roads are unlit and quite winding. Ireland has very high road density with lots of minor roads. Many people walk on these roads which have no path. Use of lights and reflective or hi vis clothing is sensible and already common.
I can understand. Once I encountered a jogger wearing a completely black outfit in a dark unlit road. The only reason I saw the guy was because there were a few reflective bits on his shoes. That was a nice scare.
When I was a poor college kid I recalled a Halloween costume joke from an SNL bit. It involved a black hoodie, black sweatpants, and a black ski mask. All I had to purchase was the ski mask. Don my outfit and I became “The Invisible Pedestrian”. Used that costume a few years.
Horrible. I hope your car wasn’t traumatized. Let’s call these “pedestrians” by their true name: terrorists! Because that’s what they are. Terrorists, creeping around our roads at night, dressed in black, assaulting our vehicles, eating our cats and dogs.
There all terrorists, obviously. Terrorists! Or maybe they can’t take the idea of a traumatized car. But it happens, I’m telling you. It’s the truth! Our cars are being traumatized, our dogs and cats are eaten, it happens every day!
Is wearing hi vis clothing sensible on country roads with no sidewalks? Yes.
Should it be mandatory just to go out on a walk? No. How about we lower speed limits on those roads or create safer roads. Walking is a basic human right (or moving about in whatever way you need to if your body doesn’t allow you to walk). Driving a car is not.
Those roads already have a lower speed limit. I think the geography of the landscape and the neighbouring properties does not allow them to be more visible without loss of scenery.
Roads are designed for transport. Cars can be fatal. It’s all well and good to say we should be safer but is wearing appropriate clothing when walking in a shared car pedestrian zone really be that onerous?
We already require the cars to have multiple safety standards to aid pedestrians and visibility. Cyclists are required to wear helmets in many places etc.
I am finding it odd that many comments talk about pedestrian freedom, yet jaywalking is illegal in many places but not in Ireland, where people can use their personal judgement and the cars are held responsible.
Like seatbelts, of it saves lives and is harmless, then why not. If no lives are saved, nobody is worse off. If one life is saved, it’s worth it. Like seatbelts laws, the idea is a change in thinking not to fine people for non compliance.
I doubt it will become mandatory. It seems more like a thought bubble. Ireland used to have very high road death figures but has worked hard to change that.
Wouldn’t reevaluating the road system to meet pedestrian needs better be a far saner response than trying to mandate everyone wear special clothing? Maybe convert a few of those roads from vehicle to pedestrian only and explore options to provide better lighting on both.
I think you are misunderstanding the roads. The roads in towns and cities have footpath and lighting. These are rural roads with minimal car or foot traffic.
Conversion would be both cost prohibitive and wasteful. Not to mention that many of these roads are narrow and to wide sufficiently would mean encroaching on people’s houses or farms.
Ireland already has one of the lowest level of road deaths per 100, 000 people globally. This is not a case where the road system needs evaluation but a low cost method to reduce road deaths further.
I think you’re looking at it from a USA overzealous cop perspective. It’s like seat belt laws. Nobody ever gets a fine (ticket). It’s setting an expectation to force through mentality change.
Ireland has aggressive road safety advertising that puts the blame and onus on the driver. There is a culture of driving safe being the responsible thing to do and not tolerating speeding or drink driving. (There are enforced fines for those). It’s socially unacceptable to drive after drinking. It does still happen but at low levels. Whereas other countries, it’s illegal but common.
I think the why not is anyone leaving their house without the required vest could be ticketed. Even walking to a car. I know my wife would not be keen on having to wear a reflective vest over a fancy dress and I certainly would not want to wear one over a plain white tee or no shirt at all on hot days hiking somewhere.
When my dad visited Dublin and the surrounding area, they were driving by another car on a road with a car they rented and the road was so narrow that the side mirror got knocked right off.
When they returned the car, the rental company was completely nonplussed because it happens so often. Afterwards, they started noticing that a lot of the cars had their mirror missing on the same side.
What about kids? Should we let the parent decide or,.if it’s a blatantly obvious way to protect them, should we prosecute parent that don’t suitably dress their kids for the risk? Or require it. Personally, o don’t have a problem with making it a requirement. Knowing the Irish gardaî, of expect light enforcement.
Safer roads would mean a lot of environment destruction in such case (and very high cost, for the low traffic there). I would rather wear some hi-vis and keep narrow rural roads rural and narrow.
Yeah, I’m guessing you’ve never been anywhere properly rural. The distances involved are huge, and there are almost no pedestrians, as going anywhere but the neighbour’s place would mean walking for hours.
Putting in footpaths on every road would be an absurd amount of money.
It should be noted that in rural areas, many roads are unlit and quite winding. Ireland has very high road density with lots of minor roads. Many people walk on these roads which have no path. Use of lights and reflective or hi vis clothing is sensible and already common.
Sounds like Ireland should invest some of that money they earn from being a tax-haven into some proper infrastructure.
I can understand. Once I encountered a jogger wearing a completely black outfit in a dark unlit road. The only reason I saw the guy was because there were a few reflective bits on his shoes. That was a nice scare.
I’ve come across similar cyclists, no lights, no reflectors, dark clothing. Just borderline suicidal.
When I was a poor college kid I recalled a Halloween costume joke from an SNL bit. It involved a black hoodie, black sweatpants, and a black ski mask. All I had to purchase was the ski mask. Don my outfit and I became “The Invisible Pedestrian”. Used that costume a few years.
Horrible. I hope your car wasn’t traumatized. Let’s call these “pedestrians” by their true name: terrorists! Because that’s what they are. Terrorists, creeping around our roads at night, dressed in black, assaulting our vehicles, eating our cats and dogs.
Why are you being downvoted? I can’t believe people are not able to see the clear sarcasm in your comment.
There all terrorists, obviously. Terrorists! Or maybe they can’t take the idea of a traumatized car. But it happens, I’m telling you. It’s the truth! Our cars are being traumatized, our dogs and cats are eaten, it happens every day!
Is wearing hi vis clothing sensible on country roads with no sidewalks? Yes.
Should it be mandatory just to go out on a walk? No. How about we lower speed limits on those roads or create safer roads. Walking is a basic human right (or moving about in whatever way you need to if your body doesn’t allow you to walk). Driving a car is not.
Those roads already have a lower speed limit. I think the geography of the landscape and the neighbouring properties does not allow them to be more visible without loss of scenery.
Roads are designed for transport. Cars can be fatal. It’s all well and good to say we should be safer but is wearing appropriate clothing when walking in a shared car pedestrian zone really be that onerous?
We already require the cars to have multiple safety standards to aid pedestrians and visibility. Cyclists are required to wear helmets in many places etc.
I am finding it odd that many comments talk about pedestrian freedom, yet jaywalking is illegal in many places but not in Ireland, where people can use their personal judgement and the cars are held responsible.
Thanks for sharing, would you say accidents happen enough to make this mandatory?
I would not.
Like seatbelts, of it saves lives and is harmless, then why not. If no lives are saved, nobody is worse off. If one life is saved, it’s worth it. Like seatbelts laws, the idea is a change in thinking not to fine people for non compliance.
I doubt it will become mandatory. It seems more like a thought bubble. Ireland used to have very high road death figures but has worked hard to change that.
Wouldn’t reevaluating the road system to meet pedestrian needs better be a far saner response than trying to mandate everyone wear special clothing? Maybe convert a few of those roads from vehicle to pedestrian only and explore options to provide better lighting on both.
I think you are misunderstanding the roads. The roads in towns and cities have footpath and lighting. These are rural roads with minimal car or foot traffic.
Conversion would be both cost prohibitive and wasteful. Not to mention that many of these roads are narrow and to wide sufficiently would mean encroaching on people’s houses or farms.
Ireland already has one of the lowest level of road deaths per 100, 000 people globally. This is not a case where the road system needs evaluation but a low cost method to reduce road deaths further.
I think you’re looking at it from a USA overzealous cop perspective. It’s like seat belt laws. Nobody ever gets a fine (ticket). It’s setting an expectation to force through mentality change.
Ireland has aggressive road safety advertising that puts the blame and onus on the driver. There is a culture of driving safe being the responsible thing to do and not tolerating speeding or drink driving. (There are enforced fines for those). It’s socially unacceptable to drive after drinking. It does still happen but at low levels. Whereas other countries, it’s illegal but common.
Here is a sample of a recent ad.
This Irish Road Safety Ad Is So Horrifying, It’s Banned On TV Before 9PM : r/fuckcars https://share.google/MpYA2UolsWhyuWkD0
Where you live, do people already wear reflective gear to go walking? In Ireland they do already.
I think the why not is anyone leaving their house without the required vest could be ticketed. Even walking to a car. I know my wife would not be keen on having to wear a reflective vest over a fancy dress and I certainly would not want to wear one over a plain white tee or no shirt at all on hot days hiking somewhere.
When my dad visited Dublin and the surrounding area, they were driving by another car on a road with a car they rented and the road was so narrow that the side mirror got knocked right off.
When they returned the car, the rental company was completely nonplussed because it happens so often. Afterwards, they started noticing that a lot of the cars had their mirror missing on the same side.
Seems like subsidizing free hi vis jackets is the way to go then, and let people decide.
What about kids? Should we let the parent decide or,.if it’s a blatantly obvious way to protect them, should we prosecute parent that don’t suitably dress their kids for the risk? Or require it. Personally, o don’t have a problem with making it a requirement. Knowing the Irish gardaî, of expect light enforcement.
Sounds like the speed limit should be 20km/h then.
12mph?! Never traveled rural areas? It would take me over 2 hours to get to my camp in the boonies and 26 hours to pick up my kids.
Wanna go faster? Get your politicians to build you safer roads. Pedestrian lives are not expendable.
Safer roads would mean a lot of environment destruction in such case (and very high cost, for the low traffic there). I would rather wear some hi-vis and keep narrow rural roads rural and narrow.
I don’t appreciate using the environment as a cudgel to entrench the expendability of human lives in the altar of the fast car.
I don’t think you’ve ever been to a rural area, have you?
Ooooo urban people and their weird “don’t kill pedestrians” ideas.
Yeah, I’m guessing you’ve never been anywhere properly rural. The distances involved are huge, and there are almost no pedestrians, as going anywhere but the neighbour’s place would mean walking for hours.
Putting in footpaths on every road would be an absurd amount of money.
Are we still talking about rural and periurban Ireland?
With the highest road density?