We all deal with poor road surfaces on virtually every spin we go on, but now the bad roads in Ireland have been rated with the top three well known to cyclists.
Some of the most iconic and popular routes with Irish cyclists from all over the country have been named among the most dangerous roads in the Republic.
Old Military Road in Co Wicklow along with the Gap of Dunloe in Co Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher drive have emerged as the three most dangerous roads in a survey by Chill Insurance.
While the survey asked 650 drivers, rather than cyclists, to pick what they believed was the most dangerous road in the Republic; the top three are all very popular with cyclists.
The road that came out on top as the most dangerous in the country was the Cliffs of Moher drive, but with a very good reason.
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The road has 200 metre drops off one side down the huge cliffs and recent landslides in the area have made it unstable.
A total of 19 per cent of those surveyed picked the Cliffs of Moher drive as the most dangerous stretch of road.
The survey suggests: “Cyclists; best to read the sign saying ‘please do not go beyond this point’.”
The Cliffs of Moher drive was followed by Old Military Road as the most dangerous, with 13 per cent of the vote.
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While it is very well known with Dublin cyclists, any rider from Leinster and those living further away but who have travelled around the country for racing or sportives will know this stretch.
It winds through the Wicklow Mountains and offers great training terrain. But it is littered with poor road surface, twists and turns and blind spots making it treacherous for cyclists and drivers alike.
And completing the podium in the ‘worst road in Ireland’ contest is the Gap of Dunloe.
It has more than its fair share of pot holes and generally poor road surface and with hairpins and various twists and turns.
And while its peak of 731 metres makes it great cycling territory you’ll need your wits about you. It was voted most dangerous road in Ireland by 11 per cent of the motorists surveyed by Chill Insurance.
Another result of the survey was that respondents voted Dublin as the county with the most dangerous roads in the country.
The survey also found that 34 per cent of drivers had been in a road traffic accident in the last five years.
And 20 per cent of drivers had been on the roads for 5 years or less, with only 9 per cent driving for 20 years or more.
Some 68 per cent of drivers worried about their safety when driving on the roads of Ireland.
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