Just No.
It is all down to the perception amongst drivers that they will get caught speeding or whatever by a well resourced Garda Traffic Corp.
I remember a time in the late 90's when AGS put massive resources into the Traffic Corp and I know for a fact that the perception of being caught certainly slowed me down for one anyway.
Nowadays the resources in the Traffic Corp is minimal compared to what it was, this is a reflection of the general and perceived lack of Gardai in general.
So speed away and your chances of getting caught are very slim, just except for those places that those Go Safe revenue vans are monitoring the roadways.
So there is that, there is what I firmly believe a drop in driving standards since the Covid lock down.
Personally I know for a fact that the level of driving is much better on the roads, during the week when most people are at work / school etc.
Of course there are the distractions within vehicles such as mobile phones, maps, navigation etc.
Then there is the manufacturers made issue, those interactive screens where every switching device is now on a touchscreen.
Once upon a time and not so long ago, once people became familiar with their dashes, they feel their way across say to the radio or to the temperature gauge etc and readjust them.
You have to glance at a screen now to do those things.
The technology is there though that can take the pressure of actual humans in the Gardai from policing our roads.
Policing roads is a very intensive form of policing because to be done right it has to be done proactively.
This is where camera's, AI technology and the like can do the job.
Like why in this day and age do Gardai need to stop cars to check their tax and insurance?
You can set up cameras on routes, that could automatically scan the cars regisratation and cross check it against a database to see if the car is a) taxed b) insured and c) if the primary driver is off the road.
Automatically spit out fines, points etc for noncompliance.
This could all be automated.
Another thing we could do is follow the Australians in how they manage fines.
Their fines are much larger for one. Think $500 for using a mobile for driving.
If you go to court to challenge and lose, that is a $2000 fine automatically. That is why it's rare for people to challenge the fines they get, the risk is simply not worth it.
If you start fining people for speeding and bad driving left right and centre, and they know that there won't be way around it, you will be surprised then that compliance to safer driving becomes apparent.
Another simple win is the self-reporting portal where people can upload and lodge complaints of dangerous drivers they have seen. That would be gold dust for the Gardai as if dickhead drivers knew that at any moment someone with a dashcam could be videoing them ready to upload to the Garda where there is an actual follow-up, id wager they won't be so quick to be that dickhead driver.
The problem is, that proposals for safer driving are now caught up in the Culture Wars. People see those advocating things like a web portal for reporting bad behaviour as taking away their freedom or something. They are woke, of lefty loonies.
How on earth did we get to a position where those asking for better enforcement of the rules of the road are seen as the enemy?
