Tired drivers must break the law to take a rest

HOW long more will motorists have to put up with the lack of rest facilities on our roads? The absence of safe areas to park is a disgrace. The Road Safety Authority’s advice to drivers is to take a break to avoid fatigue — but where?

Do they think every vehicle, large and small, can pull into a filling station and clog up the forecourt or fill, legally or otherwise, every available space in a town or village.

The fact is the Government and its agencies — the NRA and the Transport and Environment departments — have failed to put in place a basic safety requirement for citizens on our roads.

We don’t even have the only facility that used to be available any more — the wide areas inside the hard shoulder. These are no-go areas now because they are not resurfaced when roads are repaired. We are instead forced to use the hard shoulder to park.

This is unsafe, illegal and not allowed in any other civilised country. The official contempt for motorists is disgraceful. The authorities suck us dry with all kinds of taxes, but ignore our basic right to safety on the roads.

The next time you face a big truck on the road, ask yourself how long since the driver had a rest? It’s hard enough for drivers of cars and vans to find a safe place to park, but truck drivers must use the hard shoulder.

James Lane

Liam MacGearailt Place

Fermoy

Co Cork