There’s no such thing as a safe driver

IN response to my letter of March 22, Kevin McCarthy says pedestrians are responsible for their own safety (Letters, April 5).

But there are few safe places to cross the road, even in towns – no footpaths on rural roads and most roads have been widened right up to the ditch or wall, so there are no safe refuges.

Most motorists drive too fast, carelessly and drive blind round bends. The thousands of vehicular collisions that take place every day prove there is no such thing as a safe driver.

There is virtually nothing anyone walking quite legally and properly can do to avoid being hit by a car, so to say pedestrians are responsible for their own safety is about as helpful as saying the same thing about the victims of 7/7 or 9/11.

Because pedestrians are extremely vulnerable, and it is they and not the driver who gets killed or injured, whoever is to blame, I feel very responsible for their safety when driving, and I would hope most motorists do. By the end of the first week of this month, 15 pedestrians and 19 drivers had been killed so far this year. Given this victim-blaming attitude, I am surprised it is not far more.

Michael Job

Rossnagrena

Glengarriff

Co Cork