Wrong-way motorway driving a ‘huge concern’ for Irish hauliers, says IRHA president

Comments from the Irish Road Haulage Association come as gardaí continue to investigate the Kildare crash involving a car driving the wrong way down a motorway. Picture: PA

The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has said reckless driving on motorways has become a “huge concern” for hauliers on Irish roads.

Ger Hyland's comments come as gardaí investigate a crash in which five teenagers were killed — one aged just 15 — when they drove a BMW at high speed the wrong way down a motorway and collided with a car carrying a family.

Three sisters and a seven-year-old boy were struck by the car on the M9 motorway, in Co Kildare, as they travelled to Dublin Airport for a wedding in England.

Two of the sisters, including the mother of the child, suffered serious injuries and are in a critical condition in hospital.

Mr Hyland told the Irish Examiner that “the standard of driving here is getting worse nearly on a monthly basis”.

He said IRHA members were increasingly encountering dangerous driving on country roads, at blind bends and around roundabouts, including vehicles travelling at speed and making dangerous manoeuvres.

He said members had also observed people driving the wrong way on motorways.

“We’ve all seen it down through the years, maybe not to the extent that we are seeing now with this phenomenon of young people videoing themselves — that's a relatively new thing — but we have all met people going in the wrong direction at some point," said Mr Hyland.

‘The motorway is meant to be the safest road to drive on’

Mr Hyland said the increasing number of vehicles travelling on the wrong side of motorways was particularly concerning for hauliers.

“The motorway is meant to be the safest road to drive on — our members are comfortable driving on motorways, but we are finding that they are meeting more and more vehicles on the wrong side of the road."

He said truck drivers were generally better protected from collisions because of the height of their vehicles, but stressed that other road users remained vulnerable.

“It is the wider public that has to be protected from this type of driving,” he added.

“Our workplace is the road, anything that affects driving and affects vehicles coming towards our members is a huge concern."

Mr Hyland said hauliers faced limited options if they encountered a vehicle travelling towards them on the wrong side of a motorway.

“If you’re driving up the motorway, and you see someone coming down the wrong side, all our drivers can do is stay in their lane and hope for the best — we can’t take evasive action.” 

Just over a week ago, one youth was left in a critical condition, and eight other people suffered injuries, in a head-on collision on the M50 motorway in Dublin.

The car had been reported stolen and was driving the wrong way down the motorway.

Garda sources in Cork also report juveniles have been driving cars, often stolen, dangerously and down the wrong way on roads in Cork for social media hits.

A video is currently circulating on social media of a car being driven at apparent speed the wrong way down a busy road, believed to be in Cork.

A standalone offence for driving the wrong way down the motorway will be considered in the wake of Sunday's fatal collision on the M9 in Kildare, Mr O'Callaghan said. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and justice minister Jim O’Callaghan joined Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly in criticising people who engage in such behaviour for social media likes and reposts.

Mr O’Callaghan told social media companies they have a responsibility not to allow posts which glorify criminal behaviour.

A standalone offence for driving the wrong way down the motorway will be considered in the wake of Sunday's fatal collision on the M9 in Kildare, Mr O'Callaghan said.

Support for new offence and pursuit training

Mr Hyland said he supports the Government’s consideration of a new criminal offence for driving the wrong way on motorways and welcomed the introduction of pursuit training for gardaí.

“It’s unbelievable to meet a car going the wrong way on a motorway, it’s absolutely terrifying for people,” said Mr Hyland.

He said gardaí needed training to deal with active pursuits and warned those considering driving the wrong way on a motorway of the potential consequences for other road users.

“People who are considering driving the wrong way on a motorway have to consider what they’re doing.

“They’re not only dancing with death, but they’re playing with the lives of others,” he added.

Mr Hyland also highlighted the impact of the M9 collision on the family travelling to a wedding in the UK.

“Those three sisters and the child [whose car was struck head-on in the M9 crash] were heading to Dublin Airport to attend a family wedding in the UK — which should have been a joyous occasion – but now look at the amount of lives that have been turned upside down.

He said questions around appropriate measures and potential criminal charges following incidents of this nature were matters for the justice minister and Government.

“Measures to prevent this should match the crime — should they be charged with attempted murder, do the parents have a certain amount of responsibility — these are questions for the justice minster and the government.”