ALMOST one in every five Donegal motorists has admitted either hitting pedestrians or having close calls with them in the last two years.
A new study by AA Motor Insurance also show that one in every eight drivers on Irish roads have either had a near miss or a collision with a cyclist in the last two years.
More than 12,500 drivers in Ireland were polled in the study and 5 per cent have revealed that they have either hit or almost hit a motorcyclist – with a further 0.7 per cent saying that they had done the same with someone on horseback.
A higher number of men than women said that they had a near miss or an accident with a cyclist within the past two years, and 17 per cent of accidents happened while it was raining.
“Naturally road surfaces are slicker and visibility can be affected during downpours, cyclists may swerve to avoid a puddle you won’t necessarily see, and pedestrians will be anxious to get out of the rain so motorists should exercise extreme care and expect the unexpected,” said Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy at AA Ireland.
Dublin topped the poll in terms of county results, with 17 per cent of Dublin drivers indicating they had almost had an accident with a cyclist in the past two years. Following this were drivers in Galway at 14 per cent and Wicklow at 13 per cent.
Here in Donegal 17 per cent of drivers said that they had a close call or had knocked down a pedestrian, while Wicklow had one of the worst track records when it came to motorcyclists.
An above average number of incidents involving horse riders were located in counties Waterford and Limerick and Cavan, Donegal and Roscommon reported the highest number of incidents involving animals.
The study also revealed that the time of day can have a massive impact on the number of accidents on Irish roads. 48 per cent of incidents reported to the AA occurred during daylight, with 28 per cent happening during darkness.
“Cyclists travelling after dark should make sure to wear reflective clothing or accessories and have lights at the front and the rear. Pedestrians should also stay visible after dark with reflective and light coloured clothing, stick to footpaths where possible and avoid distractions such as texting while walking,” says Conor Faughnan.
“We can’t emphasize enough the importance of always checking your mirrors and keeping your full attention on the road,” he added.
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW:
Tags:
