In other news, the Irish accidentally elected a car.
It should be noted that in rural areas, many roads are unlit and quite winding. Ireland has very high road density with lots of minor roads. Many people walk on these roads which have no path. Use of lights and reflective or hi vis clothing is sensible and already common.
I can understand. Once I encountered a jogger wearing a completely black outfit in a dark unlit road. The only reason I saw the guy was because there were a few reflective bits on his shoes. That was a nice scare.
Horrible. I hope your car wasn’t traumatized. Let’s call these “pedestrians” by their true name: terrorists! Because that’s what they are. Terrorists, creeping around our roads at night, dressed in black, assaulting our vehicles, eating our cats and dogs.
Why are you being downvoted? I can’t believe people are not able to see the clear sarcasm in your comment.
There all terrorists, obviously. Terrorists! Or maybe they can’t take the idea of a traumatized car. But it happens, I’m telling you. It’s the truth! Our cars are being traumatized, our dogs and cats are eaten, it happens every day!
When I was a poor college kid I recalled a Halloween costume joke from an SNL bit. It involved a black hoodie, black sweatpants, and a black ski mask. All I had to purchase was the ski mask. Don my outfit and I became “The Invisible Pedestrian”. Used that costume a few years.
I’ve come across similar cyclists, no lights, no reflectors, dark clothing. Just borderline suicidal.
Is wearing hi vis clothing sensible on country roads with no sidewalks? Yes.
Should it be mandatory just to go out on a walk? No. How about we lower speed limits on those roads or create safer roads. Walking is a basic human right (or moving about in whatever way you need to if your body doesn’t allow you to walk). Driving a car is not.
Those roads already have a lower speed limit. I think the geography of the landscape and the neighbouring properties does not allow them to be more visible without loss of scenery.
Roads are designed for transport. Cars can be fatal. It’s all well and good to say we should be safer but is wearing appropriate clothing when walking in a shared car pedestrian zone really be that onerous?
We already require the cars to have multiple safety standards to aid pedestrians and visibility. Cyclists are required to wear helmets in many places etc.
I am finding it odd that many comments talk about pedestrian freedom, yet jaywalking is illegal in many places but not in Ireland, where people can use their personal judgement and the cars are held responsible.
Use of lights and reflective or hi vis clothing is sensible and already common.
Thanks for sharing, would you say accidents happen enough to make this mandatory?
would you say accidents happen
Like seatbelts, of it saves lives and is harmless, then why not. If no lives are saved, nobody is worse off. If one life is saved, it’s worth it. Like seatbelts laws, the idea is a change in thinking not to fine people for non compliance.
I doubt it will become mandatory. It seems more like a thought bubble. Ireland used to have very high road death figures but has worked hard to change that.
Wouldn’t reevaluating the road system to meet pedestrian needs better be a far saner response than trying to mandate everyone wear special clothing? Maybe convert a few of those roads from vehicle to pedestrian only and explore options to provide better lighting on both.
I think you are misunderstanding the roads. The roads in towns and cities have footpath and lighting. These are rural roads with minimal car or foot traffic.
Conversion would be both cost prohibitive and wasteful. Not to mention that many of these roads are narrow and to wide sufficiently would mean encroaching on people’s houses or farms.
Ireland already has one of the lowest level of road deaths per 100, 000 people globally. This is not a case where the road system needs evaluation but a low cost method to reduce road deaths further.
I think you’re looking at it from a USA overzealous cop perspective. It’s like seat belt laws. Nobody ever gets a fine (ticket). It’s setting an expectation to force through mentality change.
Ireland has aggressive road safety advertising that puts the blame and onus on the driver. There is a culture of driving safe being the responsible thing to do and not tolerating speeding or drink driving. (There are enforced fines for those). It’s socially unacceptable to drive after drinking. It does still happen but at low levels. Whereas other countries, it’s illegal but common.
Here is a sample of a recent ad.
This Irish Road Safety Ad Is So Horrifying, It’s Banned On TV Before 9PM : r/fuckcars https://share.google/MpYA2UolsWhyuWkD0
Where you live, do people already wear reflective gear to go walking? In Ireland they do already.
I think the why not is anyone leaving their house without the required vest could be ticketed. Even walking to a car. I know my wife would not be keen on having to wear a reflective vest over a fancy dress and I certainly would not want to wear one over a plain white tee or no shirt at all on hot days hiking somewhere.
When my dad visited Dublin and the surrounding area, they were driving by another car on a road with a car they rented and the road was so narrow that the side mirror got knocked right off.
When they returned the car, the rental company was completely nonplussed because it happens so often. Afterwards, they started noticing that a lot of the cars had their mirror missing on the same side.
Sounds like the speed limit should be 20km/h then.
Sounds like Ireland should invest some of that money they earn from being a tax-haven into some proper infrastructure.
Seems like subsidizing free hi vis jackets is the way to go then, and let people decide.
What about kids? Should we let the parent decide or,.if it’s a blatantly obvious way to protect them, should we prosecute parent that don’t suitably dress their kids for the risk? Or require it. Personally, o don’t have a problem with making it a requirement. Knowing the Irish gardaî, of expect light enforcement.
I’d propose to introduce a pedestrian’s licence, too. Can’t have these people just run around without any proper training!
That website is propaganda group that both fuels and funds far-right movements. They are not journalists, but an influencing machine. The better subs have banned their links.
If you want to read about our asshat politician and this story in particular, it’s covered here: https://irishcycle.com/2025/07/05/td-asks-about-making-high-vis-compulsory-for-all-pedestrians-cyclists-and-users-of-school-transport/
Well if we’re going to unnecessarily inconvenience a group of people, I think a national 5mph limit would have a better effect
Remember when wales lowered their speed limit and all the car brains went nuts? Yeah, same thing will happen in ireland i would wager.
Maybe they should also make it mandatory for pedestrians to carry rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and be trained in their operation.
This would hopefully make car drivers to exercise more caution.
/sarcasm that has an unfortunate chance of becoming reality in a few decades, you just watch
The historically accurate documentary “Team Fortress” also taught me it’s a GREAT method of transportation
We should have a mandatory car with a red flag driving 3m in front of every pedestrian.
I call for mandatory pool noodles taped to every car.
Unironically, it’s weird that crash safety standards don’t include pedestrians.
They do in Europe I believe. One of the reasons why the Cybertruck and Pickups in general aren’t sold in the EU.
That sounds likely, although they do have some models available. They just haven’t been as popular.
Pedestrians call for mandatory glasses for all driving members of parliament.
He is not wrong. Makes it way easier to hit pedestrians.
Tap for spoiler
/s
Next up: controlling who you love
So now our deference to cars is such that we all have to carry an extra garment just to walk the streets? That seems fine. /s
Punishing pedestrians for the danger of cars. Classic car-brain-rot mentality.
All cars should be preceded at a distance of no less than three and no more than six metres by a walking man waving a red flag.
