Gardaí in Kilkenny warn about dangerous toilet stops being made on motorways
Safety advice has been issued by local gardaí after an off-duty member recently spotted a car pulled in on the M9 with a young child 'clearly washing the rear wheel'.
"What parent hasn't had a child caught short and had to pull in on the hard shoulder of a road? Barely any," a garda spokesperson said.
"You cannot however stop on a hard shoulder of a motorway as you are hugely endangering your life and that of others for what is not an emergency. A soiled seat is better than a lost life."
Gardaí then issued the following reasons for stopping on a motorway:
1) You have broken down and cannot make the next exit
2) You have run out of fuel or battery (never go onto the motorway in the first place with low fuel)
3) You or your passengers have a medical emergency
4) You have been directed by a member of An Garda Síochána to stop
Gardaí added that drivers must also 'never drive in any hard shoulder with a solid yellow line as on a motorway unless directed'.