Episode 4 (Unsafe vehicles)
In this episode, our nation’s unsafe vehicles come under the microscope. Test drivers, Adam and Aoife discover first-hand how “bald” and “soft” tyres affect their driving abilities and much to their surprise the tests don’t go as planned. We go under the bonnet to reveal the potentially fatal hidden dangers in your car that we should all be aware of. And, we find out what the people who drive our nation’s roads for a living think of sharing them with the rest of us.
Series Overview
There are over two million cars on our roads and many of us spend up to two hours a day behind the wheel. So, if we’re spending so much time driving, why are some of us so bad at it? In ‘How’s Your Driving?’ Simon Delaney examines Ireland’s driving habits, both good and bad, while real Irish drivers take on a series of test track challenges.
The average Irish motorist clocks up about 15,000 KM a year. We are not the worst drivers in Europe but we are by no means the best. You could say, we’re middle of the road! From the test track to towns and cities across Ireland “How’s Your Driving?” takes a frank and honest look at our nations motoring abilities. Over four episodes, a cross section of Irish drivers will be put through their paces on a controlled test track where we replicate the main causes of Irish road collisions. Under real road conditions our drivers will experience how factors like alcohol and drugs, speeding, using a mobile phone or unsafe tyres actually affect their driving abilities. They will carry out everyday driving challenges while trying to avoid other vehicles, obstacles and cardboard pedestrians. We test their motoring skills both under and over the legal drink-driving limit. They discover what it’s like to try and send a text or make a call whilst coping with daily driving challenges. They see first-hand, how adding speed affects their ability to emergency break or avoid hazards. And they get to grips with a serious lack of grip when they take on our wet slalom track on both flat and “bald” tyres.
Having seen the causes, our test drivers will then come fact-to-face with the long-lasting affects of poor driving habits when they sit down with some of the people whose lives have been devastated by fatal collisions on Irish roads.
Simon will also find out how our driving skills compare internationally and what the people who drive our roads for a living think of sharing them with the rest of us. To drive a car in Ireland you are supposed to have an intimate knowledge of the Rules of the Road and we will be hitting the streets of Ireland to find out just how much our motoring nation actually know.
So, join Simon Delaney as he asks Ireland the question – “How’s Your Driving?”