Gardaí issue warning after car driven wrong way on Waterford to Dublin motorway
The incident occurred on the M9 in County Kilkenny on Sunday night
Gardaí have issued a warning after a car was driven the wrong way on the Waterford to Dublin motorway.
The incident occurred just south of Danesfort in County Kilkenny on Sunday night.
Kilkenny gardaí detailed the incident in a post on social media on Monday afternoon.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Last night, our Thomastown and Kilkenny RPU responded to a call reporting that a vehicle was spotted driving the wrong way on the M9, south of Danesfort.
“The driver safely left the motorway and restarted his trip on the correct side before our crews came across him parked on the hard shoulder.
“There were no collisions and the tired older driver was safely escorted off the carriageway.”
They continued by saying that the incident should start a conversation about the use of motorways by elderly drivers.
“All is well that ends well, but another point possibly should be raised or at least a conversation started.
“Most incidents like the one above have no malicious intent but come to pass when either tourists (small percentage) or drivers less able for the challenges of motorway driving use the network.
“For those of us, possibly in the autumn of our driving career, are the particular challenges of a higher speed road, without usable hard shoulders always the best option?”
The spokesperson said that they were not being ageist but simply pointing out that some older drivers mightn’t be suited to motorway driving.
“This is not ageist, indeed there are 90 year olds who have exceptional reflexes and driving ability, but there are conversely those that may have lost some of their sparkle behind the wheel.
“Similarly, L drivers may not use motorways and people who are tired expose themselves and other road users to even greater risks when they use these efficient but monotonous roads.”
“Outside of the motorway network, there still exists the regional and national primary routes which for some should be the option elected for,” they concluded.