AA warns to expect significant increase in incidents and crashes on roads in September
The return of schools means a big increase in traffic volumes. It also means more traffic incidents, crashes and delays. AA Ireland is warning road users of the increased risk of collisions and incidents as commuter patterns return to peak levels after the Summer.
An analysis of road traffic incidents reported to AA Roadwatch in 2018 found that in September, there was a significant increase in incidents, breakdowns and collisions reported to the AA. When compared to the statistics for August, the number of collisions nearly doubled. During the final two weeks of August 2018, 55 collisions or crashes which were either disrupting traffic or were likely to do so were reported to AA Roadwatch. However, in the first two weeks of September this figure rose by 91% to 105.
“Whatever the official definition is, for a lot of Irish families, Autumn starts on the 1st September when the schools return,” Ruth Jephson, Acting Editor of AA Roadwatch said.
Overall, there was a 54% increase in incidents reported to AA Roadwatch. Among the incidents typically reported to AA Roadwatch are collisions, breakdowns, vehicle fires, overturned vehicles and jack-knifed trucks. In total, during the final two weeks before the start of the new school season in 2018, 101 traffic disrupting incidents were reported to AA Roadwatch. However, in the first two weeks of September this figure increased to 156 incidents – primarily on motorways, national roads and regional roads.
“When we speak about incidents, these are specifically those which either disrupted traffic or were on a major route. For instance, we may not receive word about a minor incident on a very quiet road but when a crash occurs on a motorway or an N road we’re likely to get plenty of people bringing it to our attention due to the disruption it can bring,” Ruth added. “As traffic returns to peak levels from September, there is an increased risk of these incidents occurring. Those commuting during the summer may have got used to much quieter routes and better driving conditions but they are now sharing the roads with significantly more vehicles and pedestrians so vigilance is key.”
The traffic monitoring service also recorded a 59% increase in vehicle breakdowns from August to September in 2018.