Two-thirds of Irish drivers break the speed limit with many confident they are unlikely to be caught, according to a national survey of driving behaviour and attitudes. The survey of 1,064 motorists shows that 67 per cent knowingly break the limit, while 23 per cent drive after taking alcohol. Almost a quarter admit excessive speed "very often" or "fairly often".
More than one-third of those who took alcohol before driving thought it unlikely they would be stopped.
Among 25- to 34-year-olds surveyed, the numbers admitting to speeding rises to 80 per cent. A third of 18- to 24-year-olds said they consumed alcohol before driving.
The survey, carried out for the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) by Lansdowne Market Research, is the first of its kind carried out by the federation.
IIF chief executive Mike Kemp said the disregard for traffic laws revealed was particularly worrying "given that we know human error is a key factor in most crashes".
Despite penalty points and the introduction of the Traffic Corps, he said, the survey shows that a high proportion of drivers disregard road laws and basic road safety - and are confident of not being caught.
"This calls into serious question the adequacy of the measures available for the enforcement of road traffic laws," said Kemp.
The survey also reveals an interesting paradox between drivers' views of their own behaviour compared to that of fellow road users.
Of drivers surveyed, 69 per cent claimed they never broke a red light. However, asked about other drivers, those surveyed said 89 per cent of other motorists ignored red lights.
A similar disconnect appears about road rage: 70 per cent say they never express road rage, yet they feel 88 per cent of other drivers do.
Also revealed was the regularity with which drivers, particularly young drivers, talk on mobile phones while driving. Half of all drivers aged between 25 and 34 said they used mobiles while driving - this is to become a penalty point offence but is not yet enforced.
When confessing to traffic violations, 38 per cent of all drivers interviewed for the IIF survey admitted using mobiles while driving.
A further 11 per cent admitted driving without a valid road tax certificate while 9 per cent confessed to driving a vehicle which had not passed the NCT. Five per cent admitted to driving without any insurance.
All those surveyed were aged over 18 years of age and had both a valid driving licence and insurance.
Kemp said the research showed the impact of the existing penalty points was waning and that more effective deterrents such as random breath testing and outsourcing of speed cameras were now a priority. So far 198 people have been killed on Irish roads this year.
