Well intentioned motorists are putting themselves and other road users in danger by pulling into the hard shoulder of motorways to make a call or read a text message. That is the conclusion of the latest AA Ireland poll that found that, of the 8,400 surveyed, almost half (3,780 respondents) had stopped on the hard shoulder of a motorway to make or receive a call.
"A motorway hard shoulder is an extremely dangerous place to be and should only be used in an emergency, for example, if your car breaks down and you can't restart it," said Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy, AA Ireland. "It's alarming the number of motorists willing to casually pull over and put themselves and their passengers in a dangerous situation, and all too often to respond to a text or answer a call."
In response to the lack of awareness of the safety considerations involved in motorway driving, the RSA is broadcasting a new 30-second radio advert on national and local radio from this week.
The number of people found to be walking on motorways is also of concern to both the RSA and AA Ireland with 1-in-5 of all motorway deaths in 2010 involving pedestrians. During the AA poll 236 motorists admitted to stopping to either collect or drop off a passenger on a motorway hard shoulder.
"Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users and when exposed to vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 120km/h, the risk of death or injury is greatly increased." Commented Noel Brett, CEO, RSA "Pedestrians are at a massive risk on a motorway - you're taking your life in your hands and putting other road users in danger too. Likewise, drivers who stop on a motorway can cause collisions involving their own car and potentially many others. It's unsafe and it's an offence."