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Welcome to the latest edition of AA News...
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As 2009 heads to a close there are plenty of people in Ireland who won't miss it. Floods, banks, hands-of-God, Michael Jackson and (in case you missed it) something called a recession. When RTE get around to producing ‘Reeling in the Year 2009' they will have more material than they know what to do with. It was not all bad, either. Rugby fans (especially of the Leinster variety) never had it so good.
With so much going on one of the best aspects of 2009 has almost escaped people’s attention. Road safety is going very well. The total number of deaths on our roads this year is likely to be down 10% or so on the figure for 2008 which was in itself a record year. Clearly we are doing something right, and to my mind a great deal of the credit for this must go to the improving behaviour and attitudes of Irish drivers. We are doing our bit, supporting tougher policing on issues like drink driving and speeding and collectively driving better as a population. Ireland is moving from being a
'sick man of Europe' to one of its stars in road safety terms.
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Next year will see the introduction, finally, of the promised network of speed cameras. The AA will be working to make sure this technology is deployed correctly and aimed at saving lives rather than making money.
2009 is not over yet and its last few weeks are traditionally amongst the most dangerous on the roads. Sadly, there are people walking around today who will not make it to Christmas dinner because they died in a road crash. Our message to everyone as the festive season starts is : slow down, don't drink and drive and think safety on the roads.
I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas season from everyone at the AA.
Conor Faughnan, Director of Policy, AA Ireland
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Scrappage welcome but Carbon Tax hit on Petrol and Diesel will send drivers North
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The AA has welcomed the announcement of a car scrappage scheme in the recent budget but is disappointed at the rise in the cost of fuel.
“A scrappage scheme will provide a much needed incentive for the car industry, but just as significantly it will promote the replacement of older cars with cleaner, greener and safer vehicles.” Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. “The previous scrappage scheme of the late 1990’s was very successful in its time, and the AA had been in favour of introducing a similar environmentally motivated scheme at this time.”
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Image courtesy of RTE
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Small but mighty...
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Meet Buster the Heroic Mini... this brave little motor sat forlorn up to its poor pedals in a flooded underground car park for two days while owner Geoff joined hundreds of others in dealing with the consequences of being flooded. The plucky little car, a 1993 Mini Cooper, was eventually hauled up out of the water onto dry land. With sheets of water pouring out of its doors and wheel arches, Geoff tried the key in the ignition, and the car started first time!
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Don't Let Thieves Steal Your Christmas
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As the Christmas Shopping season gets into full swing the AA has issued a warning to motorists to be on their guard against car crime, especially in Dublin.
"The statistics tell us that every year there are over 14,000 cases of theft from unattended vehicles." Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. "Over half of these thefts occur in the Dublin area, and of course the Christmas season sees many people come up to the capital to do their shopping."
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Introducing Fuel Assist
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It may look like an ordinary AA van with a poteen still in the back, but the latest addition to the AA Rescue fleet is in fact it is a fantastic piece of kit which completely resolves what used to be just about the worst thing you could do to a car short of crashing it: putting in the wrong fuel and starting the engine. That mistake used to put a motorist off the road for days and cost as much as a couple of thousand Euro to fix – until now.
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Operation Freeflow
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Christmas is always a busy time on the roads, but this year there is great news for motorists and shoppers alike. A number of efforts have been implemented to ensure the free flow of traffic into Dublin, Cork and Galway cities. From free on-street parking, to park and rides facilities, easy access to the busy shopping areas is a priority this Christmas.
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Ski Travel Insurance
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An AA survey of 3,500 people who are planning to travel outside the country between now and the end of the year has revealed that 15% will be doing so without any form of travel insurance.
Carried out as part of a broader poll of AA Motorist Panel members, the AA survey asked whether people were planning a trip outside of the country before the end of the year. 3,500 respondents (41% of total sample of 8,394 people) said that they were taking at least 1 trip outside of Ireland.
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Flood Damage Insurance Bill Will Exceed €200 Million
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While the worst of the flood conditions from a dreadful November have subsided it will be many weeks before the full cost is known. It is now estimated that the cost of the recent floods will significantly exceed €200 million according to AA Ireland.
"A great many people are still involved in clearing up damage and preparing for the further falls of rain that are forecast." Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. "But we already know that this is a more serious and widespread flood event than the floods of August 2008. That event resulted in insured losses of €100 million. This one will cost double that amount when the final bills are paid."
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LUAS Extension
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On Tuesday 8th December, Luas opened its extension to the Luas Red Line serving four more stops as far as The Point. This extension will enable Luas passengers to access George's Dock, Mayor Square, the NCI at Spencer Dock and also The Point.
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Been Breathalysed lately? If you are a Dublin male the answer is more likely to be ‘yes’
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If you want to avoid being breathalysed you should be a female motorist in rural Munster on a Tuesday afternoon. If you want to maximise your chances of being breathalysed you should be a male driver in Dublin between 7pm and 10pm on a Saturday evening. That’s according to an AA Motorists' Panel survey of 8,600 motorists nationwide.
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Half of all Penalty Point Appeals Successful
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It's not a letter any motorist wants to receive - a fixed fine notice telling you that you will have to accept two penalty points on your licence or challenge the notice in court and risk a heavier punishment. The doubles-or-quits approach means that a speeding offence carries two points if you don't contest it, four points if you take it to court and lose. What are your chances in court? The Irish Independent published details released by the Courts Service last week which show that in almost half of all cases, the motorist gets away with no points on their licence.
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New Car Sales At Rock Bottom
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No more than 55,000 new cars will be sold in Ireland in 2009, down a thumping 65% on last year with few industry insiders predicting anything other than more of the same for 2010. Two years ago, the number of new car sales in Ireland was over 186,000. In the year 2000 (anyone remember Y2K?), the figure was 235,000.
But one figure that has bucked the trend and has NOT dropped is the number of cars being imported from the UK. Almost 50,000 will be brought in this year. AA research shows that 20% of UK imports are 'clocked' - in other words they have false mileages. Be very careful if you are hunting for value across the water.
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