‘I didn't know that' say drivers over little-known symbol on Irish motorways
Dublin Fire Brigade has taken to
Advertisement
2
Irish motorways feature little-known signs to divert drivers during incidents
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
2
Dublin Fire Brigade shared their purpose on Instagram
Credit: Dublin Fire Brigade
Over the weekend,
Traffic can become heavily congested during incidents like these and cause major delays for
And to help manage these situations, a system of coloured, shaped symbols is used on motorways to indicate alternative routes that are unknown to many people.
The most common symbols include orange and black circles, diamonds and green triangles that each represent a different diversion route.
Advertisement
READ MORE IN MOTORS
These symbols appear on overhead signs when there is an incident that affects the normal flow of
Dublin Fire Brigade said: 'Earlier this evening we responded to a road traffic collision on the M1 northbound.
'A tailback of approximately 14km of traffic was reported.
'Did you know these symbols offer an alternative route off motorways!'
Advertisement
MOST READ IN MOTORS
Drivers are advised to follow these symbols to
Along the diversion route, the same coloured symbols are displayed on fixed signs to guide motorists through the alternative path.
I'm an Irish driving instructor and here's what happens when you hit the curb during your test
These diversion routes are carefully planned and managed by
Taking to the comments section, some drivers revealed that they were unaware of these symbols and their purpose.
Advertisement
One person wrote: 'Nope, I didn't know that.'
Another said: 'I didn't know that either!'
This comes after the
NCT test failure
They said: 'Do not let your oil levels slide, or you may be in for a surprise!
Advertisement
"NCT Inspectors may refuse to test the vehicle because low oil levels can cause issues with exhaust emissions tests or damage your
The low engine oil levels cause friction to increase significantly within the engine, resulting in decreased fuel efficiency as more power is being used to keep the engine running.
The oil helps to keep everything operating smoothly, but the engine will lose oil over time, and the engine will seize up if it runs out completely.
The NCT is now encouraging drivers to take these steps in advance of their test and regular checks, such as:
Advertisement
To check your engine oil, turn off your engine and let it cool for approximately five to ten minutes.
Locate the dipstick, pull it out, wipe it clean with a piece of tissue, and insert it back into the tube.
Then pull the dipstick back out and check where the oil is; you will usually have a minimum and maximum measure.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Major delays alert for Irish motorists after M50 collision amid full road closure following second morning crash
A well used road tunnel in Co Cork will be closed later this week MORNING CHAOS Major delays alert for Irish motorists after M50 collision amid full road closure following second morning crash DRIVERS have been warned of potential delays after an early morning crash on a busy motorway. The incident occurred around seven o'clock this morning on the M50 motorway in Dublin. Advertisement 3 A road has been closed in Co Louth following an incident Credit: tii 3 There have been two incidents in Dublin this morning Credit: tii It happened in the northbound lane in the suburban area of Cherrywood on the city's south side. The off-slip at Junction 16 was affected. Drivers have been told to expect delays to their journey. Traffic bosses said: "When approaching the breakdown location, drive with caution and reduce your speed. Advertisement "Some delays to your journey may occur." Heading southbound on the same road, a multi-vehicle collision has taken place. Drivers have been warned that the incident will likely cause delays to their morning commute. The incident occurred between Junction six and Junction seven heading toward Dublin. Advertisement Traffic chiefs warned: "Some delays to your journey may occur. "When approaching the congestion location, reduce your speed and drive with caution." Major motorway CLOSED due to 'serious' police incident with delays sparking chaos for commuters The fourth lane has been affected while the other three continue to operate. Meanwhile also on the M50 northbound, road users were alerted to a pedestrian presence earlier this morning. Advertisement It was reported that between the Junction five exit to Bray north and and the Junction four exit to Dublin, there was a pedestrian on the road. According to TII: "When approaching the area, reduce your speed and drive with caution." The incident, reported around seven o'clock this morning, has since been cleared. In Co Louth, a road has been closed off due to a collision earlier this morning. Advertisement All lanes between Junction eleven to Monasterboice and Junction ten to Drogheda north were affected. TII warned: "Significant delays to your journey will likely occur. "Please use a different route for your journey." Traffic bosses also took to social media to alert road users that a popular tunnel in Co Cork will be closed for a time later this week. Advertisement On Thursday, the Jack Lynch tunnel southbound will be closed from 9pm until 4am.
The Journal
2 days ago
- The Journal
Why did Helsinki have zero road deaths in the last year - and could Ireland achieve the same?
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago IN THE 12 months to August, not one person died in a road traffic collision in Helsinki, Finland. The feat may sound impossible to Ireland, which has seen a steady increase in the number of road fatalities in recent years. So far this year, 95 people have died on Irish roads. In 2023, the Road Safety Authority launched their 'Vision Zero' campaign, which aimed to achieve zero road deaths by 2050. However, as people continued to lose their lives, the RSA pivoted to more provocative messaging. The most recent ad campaign shows blood on the hands of those who drink drive, as well as those who don't call it out. Helsinki, a city with a population of 690,000, really has achieved 'Vision Zero'. Advertisement It's come close before. In 2019, no pedestrians or cyclists were killed in road traffic collisions, and just two people in vehicles died. The city's authorities have been trying to replicate the feat for the last five years. Now, after a full 12 months with no fatalities, The Journal asked how they managed it – and whether they have any tips for Ireland. Need for (less) speed Roni Utriainen, a traffic engineer with the city's Urban Environment Division, says a multitude of factors come into play, but perhaps the most transformative has been speed. More than half of the streets of Helsinki now have speed limits of 30km/h – a significant reduction on the 50km/h limits of the 1980s. Statistically, one in ten pedestrians hit by car travelling at 30km/h will die of their injuries. Whereas if a car is travelling at 50km/h, the likelihood of being killed is five in ten. Helsinki has also made other changes to discourage speeding. Narrower streets, Utriainen says, make a difference to a driver's boldness. As well as that, 70 new speed cameras have been installed around the city in the last seven years. Related Reads Irish car bonnets are getting taller every year, risking children's and pedestrians' lives - study Fianna Fáil TD says learner drivers should be allowed drive a car unaccompanied Dublin TD calls for SUV-free zones as study shows these cars are more likely to kill There are also fewer people driving cars. 'Helsinki has a rather good public transport network,' he says. 'This also reduces the number of crashes, because more people take a tram, or metro or bus line.' To expand on this, the city has plans to construct a so-called cycling 'super highway'. Utriainen says that another factor for the reduction in road deaths may be that residents of Helsinki have a better attitude to their fellow road users. 'I would say that drivers give way in most cases to pedestrians,' he said. 'It's more about overall culture and overall society.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan win in Junior WRC category of Secto Rally Finland
Donegal's Eamonn Kelly (Ford Fiesta Rally3), co-driven by Monaghan's Conor Mohan, won the Junior WRC category of Secto Rally Finland, finishing 8.3s ahead of series leader Taylor Gill. The twenty-six year old Frosses driver also secured extra championship points courtesy of three stage wins. Moving into the lead on Saturday's penultimate stage when rival Taylor Gill had trye issues, Kelly punched in the fastest time (SS17) to lead by 21.2s. The Irish pair managed their advantage well. On the final leg - a double run over the famous 23.98km Ouninpohja stage - they went on to claim a famous win. Standing on the top step of the podium, a delighted Kelly, who previously won the JWRC round in Croatia in 2023, said: "This is probably the first win we have really earned. Finland is the place of speed and one of the most iconic rallies in the world, it's a special event to win. "It's a proper rally from the word go, there's no minding, it's flat out, especially when you're racing against really fast guys. "From the start we were in the mix and it's been so enjoyable to be battling it out on these roads, the buzz is unbelievable." Meanwhile, in the main event, another all-Irish crew - Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) took a season equalling seventh place after they benefitted from the final stage retirement of Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux. Just like Monte Carlo, they were the top M-Sport Ford crew and also netted their highest points (6) haul. Home hero Kalle Rovanpera, with his maiden Secto Rally Finland, victory led home a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 top five with a masterful display that powered him into WR title contention - three points behind team mate Elfyn Evans, who regained the championship lead. Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston and Japan's Takamoto Katsuta took second place (39.2s behind) with Sebastien Ogier completing the podium line-up and even though he's on a partial programme, the French ace is only 13 points off the championship lead - the same as pre-event series leader Ott Tanak, who eventually finished tenth after the organisers imposed a five minute penalty. Rovanpera began Saturday's eight stages with a 4.9s lead over the Hyundai of Thierry Neuville whose team mate Adrien Fourmaux was 2.8s further behind in third, but that was as close as they got. Apart from a slow puncture on SS13 where Rovanpera found the conditions the most difficult he's ever faced on home soil, the Finn won five stages and ended the day with a 36.1s advantage. His nearest challengers were his own team mates, a staggering quartet of Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 that provided the Japanese outfit with a lock-out of the top five places. Neuville and Fourmaux stayed in touch and were within 15s of Rovanpera at the midday service, but all changed on the repeat run. Neuville, who lost brakes for a few kilometres on SS14, and Fourmaux both suffered front right wheel puncture early in SS16 before ending the day in sixth and seventh respectively with Neuville also struggling with brake issues. Having begun the day with some understeer, the demise of the Hyundai duo propelled Katsuta into second, Ogier in third had one objective - to stay ahead of fourth placed Evans, who was set to regain the championship lead. Josh McErlean was eighth - gaining a position when his team mate Sesks struggled for vision through a misted screen on SS15 as he lost some two minutes when he had to stop and clear the screen. The wet conditions posed plenty of issues on the same stage for McErlean, who declared: "So, so sketchy. You don't know where the water is or the puddles appear. So tricky. At the start we couldn't see, we opened the vents on the high speed road." Sami Pajari completed Toyota's noteworthy top-five lockout. M-Sport's Gregoire Munster and Martins Sesks completed the top ten. Pre-event series leader Ott Tanak was down in fourteenth position due to the addition of a five-minute penalty imposed for an incident involving a scrutineer on Friday. On the final leg Rovanpera, whose average speed was 129.95kph, went on to take a maximum thirty-five championship points winning the Power Stage as Toyota became the first manufacturer in 35 years to take the top five positions equalling Lancia's record set in 1990. Top M=Sport driver McErlean showed improved pace from his previous outing in Estonia. Secto Rally Finland (Round 9, World Rally Championship) Jyvaskyla 1. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h. 21m. 51.4a 2. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+39.2s 3. S. Ogier/V Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+45.1s 4. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+48.1s 5. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 18.8s 6. T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+2m. 01.5s 7. J. McErlean/E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1)+4m. 07.4s 8. M. Sesks/R. Francis (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 17.2s 9. G. Munster/L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 24.9s 10. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7m. 38.4s. Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings (After Round 9) 1. E. Evans 176pts 2. K. Rovanpera 173pts 3. S. Ogier 163pts 4. O. Tanak 163pts 5. T. Neuville 125pts 6. T. Katsuta 87pts 7. A. Fourmaux 71pts 8. O. Solberg 52pts 9. S. Pajari 48pts 10. G. Munster 21pts 11. J. McErlean 20pts. World Rally Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 9) 1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 458pts 2, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 371pts 3. M-Sport Ford WRT 129pts 4. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 85pts. Secto Rally Finland Juniors 1. E. Kelly/C. Mohan (Ford Fiesta Rally3) 2h. 41m. 21.6s 2. T. Gill/D. Brkic (Ford Fiesta Rally3)+8.3s 3. A. Turkkan/O. Albayrak (Ford Fiesta Rally3)+21.7s. Junior WRC Positions 1. T. Gill 95pts 2. M. Johansson 79pts 3. A. Turkkan 62pts 4. E. Kelly 57pts 5. K. Kakaz 48pts.
